


Interstellar! Pretty Cure

by isurani



Series: Stellarverse [1]
Category: Precure Fanseries - Fandom, プリキュア | PreCure | Pretty Cure Series
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Other, and she's all out of job offers, it's just like real high school, nebulous is here to give job offers and kill cure star, no one is straight, precure fanseries, someone please give sollari a break, will celestial ever finish her coffee. find out next time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-14 19:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 49,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13014909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isurani/pseuds/isurani
Summary: Once upon a time, Cure Star was born. To protect the world, the lunar messenger Lune gave her the power needed to protect the light of hope and the power of creation in all humans - stardrops. And it worked. Cure Star fought back the evil forces of the Outer Limits, and aside from weekly fights with dark monsters named Seikais, the town of Keres was somewhat at peace.Then Cure Star and Lune disappeared along with twenty-six other teenagers.It has been six months since then. Keres has grieved for the lost and moved on.But where there is a moon, there is a sun. And Sollari the solar messenger won't give up until they find Lune.





	1. Fight for the future of the sun, ari!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are just truly impossible.

“Bye, Grandpa!” Niko said it as she rushed out the door, already leaping onto her bike. Her grandpa in question didn’t even get a chance to respond before the door slammed behind her, and Niko was off.

A mental checklist went up in her brain. She needed coffee. Then she would go to school. She’d wing the rest.

There was nothing special about today, just like how the rest of the days had gone. And honestly? Niko was kind of glad about that. It was nearing six months since everything had started, and she just wanted to forget about it all like the rest of Keres had.

Six months since her grandpa got sick. Six months since the sky darkened. Six months since the meteor shower, and six months since….

Since Chikara had disappeared along with twenty-six other teenagers.

Niko shook her head. No, no. She had sworn to herself that she’d push it all back, that she wouldn’t dwell on it. For her sake, and for her grandpa’s sake. Chikara wouldn’t want her to be as depressed as she was almost six months ago.

No, there was nothing special about today. Niko would just head to Luros Preparatory as always, barely passing classes and doing nothing after school but going home, having empty conversations with Madison and Aria.

Was it the future she wanted? No. But it was the future she had, and she didn’t need anything different or life changing.

Life could just stay stagnant like this.

* * *

_“You can’t run forever, little messenger.”_

The voice echoed in Sollari’s ears as they ran. People barely looked up as they weaved between human legs, clamoring over leather shoes.

It should have struck Sollari as odd. Messengers were either welcomed or feared, not ignored. But they only cared about getting away. Ritzu would be close behind.

_“The Everlasting knows you will never make another Pretty Cure. You are a failure, and you only came here in a fruitless attempt to save a much better messenger.”_

Creatures of the Vertex didn’t have stardrops. There was no point to Ritzu’s tauntings. Which meant...which meant….they were all true.

No! Sollari wouldn’t believe that. They’d lie to themself over and over again before they believed it. They could do anything. They could, they could…

_“Lead me to your new child. Your divine saviour.”_

They wouldn’t. But they could feel Ritzu, they could feel them…was it already too late? Was their soul spark damaged, like a stardrop in a human who had lost their hope?

“ _Your hope._ ”

Sollari’s rust-red tail twitched. Their nose knew where they were going, even if their brain was preoccupied. The girl with the pink stardrops. Their saviour. The last child who had known Cure Star, even indirectly.

They didn’t know her name, but they would know. They had to. It was their duty as a messenger of the Vertex Core.

It was a reach, but it was all Sollari had. Lune was gone. Star was gone. The only one who had known Star’s identity was gone.

Sollari knew they were a failure of a messenger. Every Pretty Cure they had had never lasted very long, not even in training. Their power wasn’t strong enough.  
They didn’t know how to make Pretty Cure, but they knew Lune. And they had to...they had to…..

They had to try. For Lune’s sake.

It was the future they wanted. Sollari and Lune, the sun and the moon, day and night…

Their best friend was lost, and Sollari would not give into darkness.

So they continued to run.

_I will find you, purikyua, ari. For our future, ari._

_For the future of the sun above, I will fight, ari._

* * *

**For the future of the sun above, I will fight.**

Niko’s head suddenly felt like it had been stabbed.

Her bike wobbled and toppled over, and Niko was crumpled on the sidewalk.

**For the future of the sun above.**

Without thinking, Niko’s hands moved up to unclip her helmet. She had to get it off, off, because it had to be the one stabbing her head like this.

In only a few strokes, the silver helmet slammed to the ground. Alright. Step one done.

The second was to get up. Get up, and then she could walk somewhere, get some advil. Or maybe coffee. She needed something.

She hadn’t hit something while she was biking, had she? No, the path was clear. Cars zoomed by, but nothing had stopped for even a second.

It was normal. It had to be just a headache, not anything special.

 _“No, no, it was weird. I heard it in my head, Ni. In my head - don’t laugh! God, this is why I don’t tell you stuff. Hey, hey, I don’t mean that. It’s a joke, alright? I tell you everything.”_  
_  
_ _“I mean, you’re like my only friend. Yeah, that is kinda depressing, huh?”_

No. No no no no.

Life could stay stagnant. It had to. It had to. It had to.

Niko pushed herself up, legs still shaking.

Just had to get to school. Nothing ever happened at Luros. Aria, and Madison, and everyone...they just rambled on about tv shows or games and it was all mindless nonsense they knew was just to avoid talking about anything real.

Niko liked that. It was normal.

**You’re wrong. Nothing is normal anymore.**

The words felt like something was squeezing her head, and Niko almost hissed aloud at the pain. The whole world faded for a second before it came back, which probably wasn't good.

 _Stop it, stop it!_ She thought. It was telepathy or something stupid like that, right? Just more nonsense that wasn’t real. So if she said stop it, it would stop.

**I’m at the park. Please help me. I can help you.**

The park. That wasn’t anything specific, but somehow...somehow Niko just knew. There was a park just across the street, and that would be fine.  
  
_Please stop it._

Niko took one step, than another, her entire body tense. If she got a return message, she might collapse in the middle of the street.

A flash of green light started her moving. One step. Two steps. Three steps.

She had left her bike behind. Niko inwardly cursed.

Four steps. Five steps.

Why was this happening? Nothing had done this for six months. Not since the calls for help had resounded in everyone’s minds for miles, seconds before the meteor shower.

Even that hadn’t hurt so much. It was more subconscious, a simple _you have to help, go_ before everything ended.

No one had made it in time - wherever it was - before everything ended anyway.

Niko was pretty sure the official explanation for the two-week panic was gas leaks, or something equally as stupid.

The teenagers knew what had happened. It was their friends who had vanished from existence, after all.

You know, until everyone forgot.

Niko had lost count of her steps. She was in the park now, tennis shoes sinking in tanbark as she walked through the trees.

“Ari,” came a squeak. Niko tensed, hands balling into fists.

Probably just a squirrel. Or a bird. It was nothing, nothing.

There was a cafe stall in the park. Just walk towards there, and get a coffee. It was a stupid idea, but Niko held onto it.

“You can hear me, right, ari?”

That wasn't a squeak.

A tiny white squirrel-like body dropped from a tree to the tanbark below. It raised its head, revealing twin glittering black eyes.

It was more bunny-like than a squirrel, with long burnt orange ears, though they were rounded rather than pointed. The bunny’s tail was the most interesting - a rust red trail that seemed at least a foot long.

“Help me, ari. You’re the only one that can, ari.”

Niko took a step backwards.

“I think you’ve got the wrong person. I only came here cause I wanted my head to stop hurting.” The words flowed out of her mouth too quickly, but they were true.

The bunny winced.

“Sorry, ari. I should have known it would hurt you, ari. I shouldn’t have forced the link, ari…but I need you, ari.”

Niko held a hand out. Things needed to stop for at least one second.

“Need me for -” Niko cut herself off. First, she needed an explanation. “Who are you? And why the hell can you talk?”

The bunny stood up on two legs, their eyes shining with fear and determination.

“I am the solar messenger Sollari et Al of the Vertex Core, ari. You can call me Sollari, ari. I’m here because my friends have been captured, and you’re the only one I know, ari.” Sollari’s tail swayed from left to right, like a cat ready to pounce.

“But I don’t...I don’t know you?” It came out more like a question. Sollari’s eyes shimmered once more, but it seemed more like tears hidden out of sight.

“You knew Chikara Oshiro, ari?”

Niko paled. Her hands curled into fists once more, nails digging into the skin of her palms.

“Why would you ask that?”

Sollari didn’t falter.

“But you knew her, ari?”

Niko nodded. She couldn’t think of a response.

“Then you’re the one, ari. You have to...you have to help me, ari.”

“Why would you...” No one had said Chikara’s name in months.

“I’ll explain later. Please, ari. They’re coming, ari.”

Well, the messenger or whatever wasn’t going to answer her questions.

Niko, against all better instinct, scooped up Sollari in her arms and walked into the park.

* * *

> Text message from Aria: Niko????  
> Text message from Aria: Are you okay???  
> Text message from Aria: Where are you???  
> Text message from Mads: dude where the hell are you  
> Text message from Mads: if you leave us to do this presentation on our own i will drop kick you out the window  
> You: busy  
> You: i’ll be there  
> You sent a photo.  
> Text message from Mads: that’s blurry as hell dude  
> Text message from Aria: Busy with what????  
> You: chikara  
> Aria and Mads are typing...

“A mocha for Niko?”

Niko looked up from her phone. The cafe server, a lady not much older than Niko with dark blue hair down her back, held an exceedingly large coffee cup in her hands.

“Thanks,” Niko mumbled, and took the cup. She shouldn’t have said Chikara. She was going to need a lot of caffeine to deal with the fallout of that decision.

Despite beginning to sip the searing drink, Niko still felt a gaze on her back. She looked up once more to see the server still looming over her.

“Is that...a bunny?”

**Don’t tell them.**

With a pounding ache in her head, Niko looked at Sollari, hidden inside her backpack. The “messenger” didn’t show any signs of movement.

Niko took another sip.

“Stuffed animal,” she replied, voice flat. The server looked skeptical, but turned to go back to the coffee cart.

**Thank you.**

Niko held her forehead in her empty hand.

“Don’t do that,” she muttered. “Hurts.”

Sollari squirmed in the backpack, upset. Or were they uncomfortable?

**I-**

Sollari seemed to realize their mistake as soon as they started, burrowing deeper into the jumble of books in Niko’s backpack.

“Hope you’re not eating any books in there,” she muttered. She really shouldn’t feel bad for it. It was basically blackmailing her into helping it through the whole telepathy thing.

But...it didn’t know it was hurting her.

Niko sighed. Better not to make an enemy just yet.

Turning behind her, Niko scooped up Sollari and placed them on her lap.

“That better?” she asked.

Sollari nodded, curling up on her lap.

Niko sipped her mocha with one hand, petting Sollari with the other.  
  
> Text message from Mads: why the hell would you  
> Text message from Mads: this isn’t funny  
> Text message from Aria: Niko????

Niko shut her phone off.

“Sollari.”

The bunny raised their head slightly, orange ears pressed flat.

“What does this have to do with Chikara?” It still felt so _wrong_ to say her name like that, like it was all still happening. Like everyone had hope they’d find the missing teenagers.

Sollari pressed themself against Niko’s lap, unwilling to answer. It was so different than the unfaltering speech of before, or the commanding voice in her head.

“Sollari,” Niko tried again, a bit sterner. Sollari only shook their head. “Sollari, please.”

“They came after her, ari. They wanted to get to Lune, to Star, so they came after her, ari.”

It took a second for Niko to realize that Sollari had said it. They looked so sad, bundled up with their long tail wrapping around them.

“They dissolved her, like they did to everyone else, ari. They took the light of hope from her, ari.”

Niko’s mocha seemed to taste bitter all of a sudden.

“What do you mean?” Niko wasn’t expecting an answer, but Sollari finally met her eyes with their own.

“Stardrops, ari. You humans have them, ari. The light of hope and the power of creation, together as your very essence, ari. The Outer Limits -” that must be who ‘they’ were, Niko noted, “- extract the light of hope, ari. Without the light of hope, the power of creation means nothing, ari. The human breaks down into despair, ari.”

“Then why did no one notice this ‘despair’?” Sollari looked grave.

“I meant it literally, ari. The human literally dissolves into despair energy, ari.”

Niko wasn’t thirsty anymore.

“And that...that’s what happened to Chikara. The twenty-seven teens…”

Sollari nodded.

“It will happen to more, ari. The Outer Limits don’t just want the light of hope - they want the power of creation, ari. So they will try again, ari. Again and again….”

Niko decided to change the subject.

“So,” she tried, feeling a little better when Sollari raised their head again, “what happened to, um, Lune? Or was it Star?”

Sollari’s face fell along with Niko’s heart.

“Lune, ari…”  
Sollari’s eyes shimmered with small tears. Were they going to start crying? Niko grabbed one of the napkins she had set next to her mocha.

Sollari sniffed, and rubbed their eyes.

“Lune is...the moon, ari. Bright but gentle, unyielding but kind, ari. A guiding light, ari.”

Sollari made a motion to sink back into Niko’s lap, but stayed where they were.

“I am the sun, ari. Too bright, ari. Too strong, ari. You look to me as a beacon of hope, and I can only sear in response, ari. I burn people with my own arrogance, ari.”

“What...happened?” Niko knew she wasn’t going to get a response. Sollari curled around themselves once more.

“We should go, ari.”

“Huh?” The park was still abandoned. No one would notice Sollari here, except for maybe the two cafe ladies.

“He’ll be coming, ari.”

That was all the justification Niko really wanted. She scooped Sollari up in her arms, slid her backpack back on, and pushed herself up from the cafe table.

Holding Sollari to her chest, she walked quickly away. A quick look behind her told her that both the barista and the server weren’t looking.

Then why could she still feel a gaze on her?

* * *

 Wings spread wide.

The fairy couldn’t run forever. Even if they had found their so-called saviour, it was nothing but false hope.

Though truly, all hope was false. Ritzu had learned that long ago.

They cracked a smile under their bird-like mask.

Stupid fairy. They had tried to reason with the solar messenger, if not for very long. Ritzu was more patient than their subordinates, but that didn’t mean much. Pretty much anyone was more patient than the Trinity.

However, patience in interrogating and patience in stalking prey were two very, _very_ different things.

“Ritzu? Ritzu?” A quick look down told them that one of the Trinity in question, Rune, was currently trying to establish connection between their heart links. The kuriline’s face rippled across the surface of the violet heart on Ritzu’s chest.

Ritzu wasn’t particularly fond of kurilines as a species, much less Rune. She had her merits when it come to gathering the light of hope - particularly with the kurilines’ ability to store energy in their antennae - but she was still a petulant little child. A petulant young kuriline with the ability to shapeshift was never good.

Still, they detached the heart from their chest and held it up to their face. Rune’s four white eyes lit up.

“Ah, you picked up! That’s _-”_ and there came the hissing crackle Rune peppered into her sentences as much as Nebulous did with her human “curses” - “-ing new. Not complaining, though!” Another hiss, though this one was most likely laughter. Ritzu had learned to pick up on the context of each hiss.

“What do you want, Rune?” Rune frowned, though Ritzu didn’t know why. She had called them, after all.

“Don’t get snappy. Neb and Merc want updates. Are we going after the messenger or not?”

“ _I_ am going after the messenger. _You_ are to wait for instructions.” Rune’s frown deepened into a scowl.

“Oh yeah?” The words came out in an angry hiss, not unlike a earth cat.

“Yes, ‘oh yeah.’ I am attempting to cut the messenger off before they create a new legendary warrior.” Rune’s eyes widened at the word warrior. She was still a coward, Ritzu mused. “If I fail, it is up to the Trinity to take them down.”

Rune looked away from the heart, shaking her head.

“You’re still an asshole...but fine. Get the messenger by yourself. But _I_ get to get the information out of it.”

Without a goodbye, or any real sense of professionalism, Rune disappeared.

Ritzu snapped the heart back onto their chest.

They would do this themself. Time to get to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH DAMN SON IT'S INTERSTELLAR LIVE AND RELOADED  
> don't really have much to say here. next chapter will be good ol ritzu vs niko. niko'll probably die. that's how precure works right


	2. I believe in you! Rise, light of hope!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the future of the sun above, she could fight.

“So, what exactly is coming after you?”

Soft grass crunched under Niko’s feet. The dew wet her shoes, and Niko shivered slightly.

“Ritzu, ari.”

Sollari pressed themself against Niko’s chest, their body soft and warm much like a cat.  
  
Niko was slightly alarmed at how fast she had grown to care about Sollari, if only a little. Maybe Sollari’s species of so-called messengers had evolved to look so cute and helpless so people would instinctively protect them.

Though that was assuming all species were drawn to cute things as much as humans were. The whole idea of alien species made Niko’s head spin.

“And who is...Ritzu?”

Sollari whimpered, whatever their answer was muffled into Niko’s chest.

“Sollari, please. I want to help you.” Niko didn’t actually know if she wanted to. It would depend. She didn’t want to get dragged into anything supernatural again after what happened six months ago.

**No! Be quiet.**

Niko squinted, a dull pound wracking her head.

 _Why?_ She thought back. Even when suspicious, it was better to be safe than sorry.

**Don’t think. You’re not quiet enough.**

“God, that hurts,” she hissed under her breath. Sollari looked at her with wide eyes.

**Niko, please!**

“Sollari, stop it. We’re fine.” Panic was seeping into Niko’s thoughts, leaking from Sollari’s words and dripping into her own psyche.

**No, you don’t understand! You’re _despairing!_**

“What?”

Sollari jumped out of Niko’s arms, landing clumsily on the grass.

**They’ll-**

Sollari froze, eyes locked on the sky above. Niko looked up to try and follow their gaze, but only saw the overcast sky above.

“Sollari, what’s wrong?”

“T-they...they’ll…” Sollari stuttered over their words, choking on their own fear.

Niko suddenly realized that Sollari wasn’t looking at the sky. They were looking at - no, they were looking _past_ Niko.

Niko turned way too late.

The first thing her brain told her was that it was a harpy. Honestly, that wasn’t a bad guess. Wispy light blue hair cascaded down the figure, pushed back by some sort of plague doctor-esque mask. There were no holes for its eyes, and the little skin that wasn’t hidden by an oversized purple scarf looked deathly white.

The other thing she noticed were the large, dark blue wings in place of arms. Like an owl, perching in the rafters.

The figure said nothing, striding towards Niko. She squeezed Sollari to her chest harder.

“St-stay away.” Everything seemed so much colder now.

If the figure heard her, it didn’t react. One wing extended outward, and Niko’s eyes widened at the sight of two dark, spindly arms under it.

Four armed birdman. It’d be funny if Niko wasn’t so terrified.

“Ritzu, ari.”

Sollari peeked out of Niko’s arms. The stuttering had vanished - they must have practiced what they wanted to say, like when they had met Niko.

A smile cracked under the hooked ‘beak’ of the mask.

“Messenger.” The voice was monotone and even, but there was a hint of malice. Yet, the voice seemed to hide almost...happiness. Anticipation. The birdman - no, Ritzu - was _waiting_ for its chance to hurt Sollari, and it _wanted_ it.

And yet Sollari’s voice hadn’t been scared at all. They were terrified - Niko could feel it in her head. But Sollari had expected it, and they were ready for it.

Niko felt very out of place.

“Stay away from me, ari.”

Ritzu laughed.

“And why would I do that, messenger? You hold a dangerous power. And it seems you found your precious little hope…”

They eyed Niko from top to bottom. Niko shivered, pulling Sollari close to her.

“Seems you’re too much of a coward to make her transform into Pretty Cure. Though I’m not one to complain about easy prey.”

Niko took one step back, and then another. Her body seemed to be responding to her mind sluggishly, like it was disconnected. She almost tripped over her own feet.

“Scared, human?” They laughed again, and Niko could hear no humor in it. “You should be. That messenger you’re holding is very dangerous, and _very_ inexperienced. One wrong move and...well…”

Sollari squirmed.

“Let’s just say there’s a reason that particular little messenger never had any surviving Pretty Cure.”

_I burn people with my own arrogance, ari._

Niko shook her head. This guy was obviously adept at head games, and she didn’t want to be more messed up than she already was.

“Don’t try to trick me.”

Ritzu chuckled, shaking their head slightly.

“You catch on quick, little hope. Sadly, it won’t save you.”

This should be a dream. This had to be a dream, Sollari and Ritzu and everyone, and she could just wake up and repress what Chikara said to her about people in her head and gods and ghosts and stars…

“Save me from what?” she got out.

Ritzu smiled, but only with their mouth. Their intention was hidden along with their eyes.

“You can’t transform into a Pretty Cure without any stardrops, little hope.”

They rushed Niko.

Sollari was screaming in her head to run, creating a dull, aching pound of _run, run, run_.

_Run, run, run._

_“Ni! NIKO! Just RUN!”_

“Can’t,” she said. “Can’t run.”

_“I won’t leave you behind.”_

In Niko’s vision, pink lights danced around Ritzu, around Sollari in her arms, around the world. Somehow, she knew that they weren’t real. The lights were in her eyes, inside of _her_. And she had to try.

Sollari squeezed their eyes shut, golden light pouring out of them like tears, the stripe on their head glowing bright and the red tail separating into five distinct stands. If Niko didn’t do something right now, then Sollari would do something rash.

For a second, Niko only despaired.

But the second passed, and Ritzu was reaching out for Niko’s face. The fear had melted away into pure determination. Determination to do what, Niko didn’t know.

But she did know what to say.

_“Glimmering blue light of love! Protect me from despair!”_

Sollari twitched as Niko recalled the memory, as if they could hear the words inside their own head.

“Blessed pink light of hope! Protect me from despair!”

For a heart-stopping minute, nothing happened.

Ritzu didn’t freeze, and a spindly black hand grabbed Niko, and that horrifying smile cracked across their face-

A glimmer of light from Niko’s chest.

“ _Messenger,”_ hissed Ritzu. They yanked their hand away, wings outstretched. If the mask had eye sockets, Niko knew she would have seen fire in their eyes, burning with hatred.

And that was the last Niko saw as her world exploded into pink light.

* * *

 “How did...did you do that, ari?”

Niko blinked.

The world around her was pink and blinding, Sollari perched on her shoulder with a grim expression.

“Was I….unconscious?” Sollari shook their head.

“Time works differently right now, ari. You’re currently between two states of being, ari - mortal, and Pretty Cure, ari.” Another perfectly-rehearsed answer. But Sollari’s lip quivered.

“Where did you hear those...um, those words, ari?”

Niko thought for a second.

“From Chikara. Wait, did you say I’m not mortal or-”

“Chikara Oshiro, ari. I should have...should have known, ari.”

Sollari hopped off of Niko’s shoulder, floating gently in the ethereal light.

“Hold on a second-!”

Niko reached for the fairy, but with no ground to push off of, she ended up only tipping over and flailing a bit.

“I’m sorry to have to...to make you do this, ari. I don’t think that...that we have any other choice, ari.” Sollari’s eyes were wide and glimmering.

Suddenly, their eyes were blindingly bright, gold light shining from the stripe atop their head. A ball of light appeared between their hands, and Sollari seemed to shape it into some sort of disk.

“Take it, ari.”

Niko gingerly grabbed the disk. To her surprise, it wasn’t hot at all. The light slowly dimmed as she held it in her hands.

There was a star shaped dial on the front, against a pink disk-like top. It was similar to a make-up compact, in fact.

The star itself was white, with a different colored stripe on each end - pink, orange, blue, purple, and yellow. A gold jewel was inset on the center. In fact, the rest of the compact was gold, including the polished latch and trim around the outside.

“What is this?” Sollari took a breath.

“That is a Cosmic Compact, ari. Technically, it is my own Solar Compact, created from the power of a messenger, ari. As I hold the power of golden light, it is reflected in my compact, ari. This compact draws upon your stardrops’ power to transform you into the legendary Pretty Cure, in order to fight against the Outer Limits and protect the Vertex Core, ari.”

The words blended together. Pretty Cure...Sollari had mentioned that before. So had Ritzu, actually. That didn’t help to calm Niko’s nerves.

“Was Chikara a Pretty Cure?”

Sollari seemed to have to think about that.

“I don’t know, ari.”  
  
Of course.

“I do know that she has some connection with the previous Pretty Cure of this world, ari. Cure Star, ari.”

Niko looked back at the compact.

“What will I be?” she asked.

“That is up to you, ari,” Sollari answered.

For a second, no one moved.

“What do I do?”

Niko didn’t take her eyes off the compact.  
  
“You make your choice, ari. You either become a Pretty Cure, or you do not, ari. It is not my decision to make, ari.”

“But you sought me out.”

“You are our last hope, ari.”

Niko shook her head.

“That’s what that Ritzu guy said too. I don’t want to be anyone’s saviour. I just want to be strong enough to avenge Chikara.”

Sollari looked crestfallen.

“That didn’t mean I wouldn’t do it, Sollari. I asked, what do I do? How do I activate it?”

“Oh, uh, right, ari!” Sollari leaped up, rehearsed answers all but forgotten. “Um, um, repeat after me, ari! Pretty Cure, ari!”

Niko pressed the compact to her chest, then opened the compact. Three buttons were inside - red, green, and blue. Another jewel was inset above them, pure white.

“Pretty Cure!” Niko caught her eye in the small mirror. Three tiny pink stars shone in her gaze. A star outline appeared on the mirror, glowing softly pink.

“Infinity Reflection, ari!”

“Infinity-” Niko pressed the buttons from left to right. With each button press, a corresponding color of light shone through the jewel, flashing three times before glowing a bright white.

“Reflection!” The star shape on the mirror blinked three times with a soft tone before the jewel turned a pink color. The mirror itself shone white, a bolt of light emerging from the mirror’s lense.

The light shot towards her like a comet, her free hand grabbing the light and spinning with it, watching the trail spin around her body.

Without warning, the ribbon-like spiral Niko had made filled into a white amorphous shape as she kicked herself back into the air, fitting to her school uniform and creating a shimmering pink dress.

Niko snapped the compact closed, and pressed it to her chest with both hands. She bent backwards, feeling as if she was swimming in air. Almost reacting to her movements, the dress solidified into a dark pink leotard.

A robe-like cloak materialized above Niko, and she slipped her arms into each sleeve, pulling the cloak around her.

Light swirled around her waist, and a dark pink skirt appeared, white tulle filling in the space.

Nico took one step in the air, staying perfectly upright without any visible floor, a far cry from when she was floating with Sollari. She twirled with a small grin on her face, and the small sparks that appeared when she stepped in the air swirled around her ankles and calves, creating silver boots.

Niko grabbed first her right wrist, then her left, ‘shaping” bracelets of white light that became silver accessories.

The compact flew open of its own volition, another bolt of white light bursting into the air. This one, however, exploded like a firework into a hail of sparkles.

Niko pulled out her ponytail and let her hair flow.

Defying most laws of physics and matter, Niko’s hair lengthened in the blink of an eye, sparkles cascading down it and bleaching it pure white. Part of her hair gathered in a side ponytail, a pink orb keeping it in place.

Compact now closed, Niko pressed it to her chest, and blinked and smiled in surprise when it merged with her cloak so that only the star shape was visible. White light surged from the star shape, a silver cape flowing around her.

Niko closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them. Nothing appeared different to her this time, but she knew something had changed.

It appeared tiny star-shaped earrings had appeared on her ears, and that was all.

The pink light around her began to dissolve into bright sparkles as her transformation finished.

“The promise of meaning in the stars!”

Niko didn’t know why she’d started speaking, but the pure hatred in Ritzu’s eyes fueled her words.

“Cure Celestial!”

She walked towards Ritzu, leftover light still glowing around her.

“With the power of courage and the light of hope, I will be your opponent today.”

Her script stopped there, and Niko came out of autopilot barely a foot away from someone - something that wanted her dead.

Celestial was vaguely aware of Sollari’s concerned gaze on her. Niko was not.

But they were the same person. And right now, Niko played the part of Celestial, guardian of Earth and the stars above.

 _Thanks, Sollari_.

**I’m here to guide you, after all.**

Cure Celestial took a deep breath, still glaring at Ritzu, who seemed very much like a enraged bird at this moment.

“Cure Celestial,” they said, as if they were trying the name out on their lips. “Not one I’ve heard of before.”

Ignoring Celestial, Ritzu faced Sollari, who was still a few feet away.

“Did this one even make it out of training, messenger? I hope so. I don’t want another one of your rejects.”

Sollari shivered.

“Training?”

The question escaped before Celestial realized she had said it. Ritzu snapped back to look at her.

And then they started to laugh.

“You didn’t train her at all, did you, _messenger_? This is how desperate you are? Your hope was just some earth girl with pink stardrops?”

The laughter stopped dead, and Ritzu sneered.

“Pathetic.”

They lunged, and the fight was on.

One of the spindly dark arms from earlier now carried a rapier, thrusting towards her from out of Ritzu’s wing. Celestial planted her feet and slid to the side of it.

Two more thrusts in quick succession, appearing to go for where the Solar Compact had merged with her chest. On the third, Celestial clasped her hands and grabbed the rapier.

She allowed herself a moment’s satisfaction with the surprised look on Ritzu’s face, then hardened and attempted to twist the sword out of their hand.

Ritzu quickly caught on, however, and slid the rapier out of her hands, leaving red cuts in the process. Celestial hissed in pain.

Well, if tactics weren’t her strong point-!

Celestial rushed towards Ritzu, dodging the swings of the sword and drawing back a fist.

Was her fist glowing pink? She gave it a moment’s thought before she slammed the fist into Ritzu’s chest.

Ritzu was thrown back quite a ways. Celestial stared at her fist in surprise.

“You have the power of the stars, ari!” Celestial turned to see Sollari, eyes sparkling with pride. “This is far beyond what humans can do, ari!” The bunny alien jumped into her arms, nuzzling up against her chest.

Celestial wasn’t relaxed just yet.

“What do I do now?” she asked. “Everything I’ve managed has been mostly surprise attacks. I don’t think I can beat this guy one-on-one.”

“Ritzu is...formidable, ari. We will have to force them to retreat, ari.”

“How?”

Speak of the devil, and he will appear. A shadow passing over Celestial caused her to look up, and it appeared Ritzu’s wings weren’t just for show.

Celestial jumped backwards, conversation forgotten in the panic of getting-the-hell-out-of-there mode.

It took a few seconds before she realized she wasn’t going down.

“Sollari?”

“Yes, ari?”

“Does that power of the stars apply to everything?”

“Yes, ari.”

Celestial was suddenly very high up, and the ground was very far below her.

“I’m afraid of heights, Sollari.”

“It’ll be okay, ari. The stars will protect you, ari.”

Celestial began to fall.

Squeezing Sollari to her chest, the wind whipping around her, only one thing came to her mind.

“I don’t think I signed up for this!”

Feet first never seemed like a good landing idea, but the vague “power of the stars” seemed to be helping her with that.

Aside from sliding backwards across the dirt, Celestial appeared to be unharmed overall, despite falling from a ridiculous height.

Unfortunately, Ritzu also seemed to have recovered from the few attacks Celestial had managed.

“Sollari, if you have a plan, I’d love to hear of it!”

“We have to purify them, ari! Ritzu won’t be able to stand that light for long, ari!”

“Alright!”

Celestial rushed forward once again, this time swerving to the side and punching Ritzu in the ribs. Well, where the ribs would be on a human.

Ritzu seemed unfazed, flapping his wings and knocking Celestial back.

“Repeat after me, ari!”

“Got it!”

She pushed herself up from the grass, ready to try again.

“Pretty Cure, ari!”

“Pretty Cure!”

Her Solar Compact began to glow softly with white light.

Ritzu jabbed their sword forward once more, Celestial jumped over it this time, doing all she could to keep herself at a reasonable altitude.

That, however, meant she missed whatever Sollari had said. Celestial attempted to copy the word as best she could.

“Silver!”

The Solar Compact shone bright.

A punch to Ritzu, and they were pushed back once more. Celestial drew an orb of light out of the Solar Compact. She clapped, and the light separated into a mass of sparkles.

Celestial smiled.

“Vortex!”

Celestial flung her hands forward, and the rain of sparkles followed. Swirling together, they created a bolt of light, not unlike what transformed Celestial in the first place.

The light enveloped Ritzu, creating orbiting rings around them.

Celestial turned away, and pumped her fist into the air.

“Liftoff!”

Behind her, the rings focused into a single point.

And then exploded.

Clenching her eyes shut against the harsh light, Celestial heard Sollari’s voice in her head once more. This time, it was more halting than usual.

**The Pretty Cure of courage and hope…**

And then, it was as if Sollari was whispering. Celestial didn’t miss a word.

**My Pretty Cure. Cure Celestial.**

* * *

  _“Liftoff!”_

The girl on top of a building overlooking the park squinted.

Even from here, the light was still incredibly bright.

She squeezed her hands into fists.

There was undeniably a surge of happiness, of _hope_ bubbling up within her, but she willed it to stay suppressed.

Any wrong moves, and her transformation would burst just like that singular bubble of hope. She had kept it for so long - she couldn’t lose it now. Not without Lune.

Not after what they had done for her.

_“With the power of courage and the light of hope, I will be your opponent today!”_

Yet...she wasn’t alone anymore.

Cure Star would allow herself to believe that. No matter how unlikely it was to last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mY LAPTOP'S ABOUT TO DIE BUT WHATEVER TAKE THIS IT TOOK FOREVER  
> transformation scenes kick my ass. 
> 
> anyway someone let cure star rest 2k17.  
> SPEAKING OF, THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FANCURIES!!!  
> Even if Star didn't win, I'm still super pumped she was nominated! Thank yall so much, and congrats to the winners!!


	3. Call out loud, for love and justice!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last thing any of them wanted was more trouble.

It was almost the end of first block when the sky exploded.

The sky lit up with pink light, then white, then a luminous gold. With it came a _rumble,_ not unlike thunder.

“What the hell?”

Madison had barely gotten the question out before the ground began to shake.

The students of Keres Preparatory reacted exactly as high schoolers usually react: with sudden panic and yelling.

Earthquake drills weren’t often practiced at Keres, but students began to dive under their desks regardless. Covering her head as best she could, Madison noticed her phone begin to vibrate from where it was stored within her pocket.

She slipped it out to peek at it, just in case it was her parents or something.

> Call incoming from Niko: Pick up?

“Oh my god,” Madison mouthed. Niko still wasn’t at school. She could be hurt.

But there was nothing she could do. The phone went on buzzing in her pocket, and Madison just waited for the quake to finish.

The earthquake stilled as quickly as it had begun.

“Please excuse the interruption,” the loudspeaker crackled. “We are asking all students and faculty to stay inside the building. Authorities have been called. Once again, please stay inside the building….”

Cautiously, students began to peak out from their haphazard shelters. Aria met Madison’s eyes as she sat down in her desk once more, fear in her eyes. Her friend was rigidly still, making no moves to talk or really do anything.

An unnatural stillness had settled over the classroom. Madison kept one hand on her phone, slowly walking over to her friend.

Aria’s dark blue eyes were wide, and she seemed paler than usual. Her hand ran through her dark auburn hair, but still, she didn’t make a sound.

“Dude,” Madison said as calmly as she could manage. “You okay?”

“Niko call you too?” Ah, so she was getting straight to that.

“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “Hope she’s alright.”

“I picked up,” Aria continued. “She told me to wait for her.”

“The hell does that mean?”

“I don’t really know. I could barely hear her.”

The two of them stood in silence.

“I mean, do we call back?”

Aria shook her head.

“Already tried. The signal’s all messed up after that quake, and they’re not gonna be letting us out of the classroom.”

Their classmates had begun to chat as well, but it was a lot more stilted than usual. Everyone had some sort of anxiety or at least apprehension hanging over them.

The sky above Keres hadn’t flashed like that in six months. Madison tried not to think about the implications of that.

There was a pause.

“It’s all good!” Madison declared, a little bit too loudly. Aria looked at her quizzically.

“You know Niko wouldn’t be kept down by a little quake like that. Not like I would either, but we can’t be sulking ‘bout it.”

Aria nodded, but there was still doubt in her eyes.

“At least something goddamn happened at this school. Good. I was getting real bored, you know?”

Aria finally seemed to relax.

“Yeah,” she said with a small grin.

Madison made a move to grab her hand, and Aria let her. She gave it a small squeeze.

“C’mon, Aria. You look better smiling.”

It was true, but it didn’t stop Aria’s cheeks turning bright pink. Madison laughed.

They just had to keep their minds off what had happened. A sky flashing followed by a quake should never be thought about in Keres.

It had happened three times before, Madison realized. But she _couldn’t_ think about that, or what it meant, or anything.

She had to keep Aria grounded, and keep herself there with her.

Niko was gonna be fine, she told herself. It was a small quake, and no one got hurt. Once she showed up, Madison would protect her.

Cause she wouldn’t let herself lose anyone else.

And as flashing fire trucks pulled up to Luros Preparatory, Madison thought she was safe.

Until the door slammed open.

* * *

 Aria’s day was tenuous enough as it is before the alien attacked her class.

Everything had happened so fast, she barely had had time to react.

Go over it, she told herself. Replay it, and you can help.

A darkened figure had slammed the door open. It was distinctively non-human, with dark blue skin, four milky white eyes, and strange antennae that bunched around their head like hair, lilac bulbs hanging from the ends.

Their arms were snug inside an oddly normal white hoodie.

No one had screamed. It was like the breath had been stolen from their lungs, like a heavy silence was crushing them.

Aria knew why. The sky had flashed, then something non-human, and it was horrifyingly familiar all at once.

But there had been no time for memories.

The alien had clicked, and smiled, showing grey teeth and small fangs, then it had rushed Aria.

She had just stood there, brain trying to catch up.

Madison had turned and punched it. The alien reeled, but smiled.

Then it had shouted something, something punctuated with clicks and hisses, but still strangely _English_.

_“Crystal • Absolution!”_

The alien had made a little heart or something with her hands as she said it, and clapped, and then the whole world was frozen.

In an instant, there was crystalline ice everywhere.

That’s why Aria couldn’t move. She didn’t _feel_ frozen, she _was_ frozen. Her legs were frozen. She was frozen from the chest down.

She should be worried, Aria knew, but she was having trouble thinking for some reason.

**Breathe.**

Something sharp stabbed through her head. Aria’s eyes fluttered open and she took a deep breath, everything coming back into focus.

What was that?

**Scan your surroundings. Stay focused.**

Aria’s head pounded, but she kept her eyes open.

If there was one thing she could do, it was figure out how she could help.

Madison was finally beginning to stop struggling. She was still breathing heavily, but her feet were now solidly frozen, and she wasn’t going to be moving anytime soon.

Just like the rest of her classmates. Some were frozen completely. Madison seemed to be the last one to start freezing.

This wasn’t good.

**Just hold on. Just hold on.**

Were thoughts usually this intrusive?

“Alright, alright, so that _isn’t_ the girl. Stardrops are still one color, though. Just like the other one.”

Aria’s attention was pulled back to reality.

The alien was arguing to some sort of heart that had been hanging from her hip before. Now, it was lifted up to her face, and Aria swore she could see someone in it.

A bunch of mumbling Aria couldn’t understand, and the alien hissed.

“Come _on_. I could kill them anyway.” A pause. “Drain them, kill them, same thing. They ain’t struggling anyway.”

Madison yelled something incomprehensible through her anger. Something about ripping her to shreds for touching Aria.

Sounded like Madison.

“You’re a killjoy, you know that? I don’t _care_ if she kicked your ass - and yes, she did, that’s what retreating means, Ritzu - I want to drain _something_ today. If that means draining a boring old high schooler, I don’t give a single-” The voice cut off into a crackling hiss, sounding oddly like laughter.

Madison growled again. The alien almost seemed to roll their eyes.

“You shut up. What a pain,” she said the second bit to the violet heart, looking completely disinterested. “Orange stardrops. Anger. Nothing important.”

They listened for a bit, Aria straining to understand even a fragment of the other half of the conversation.

“The other one’s blue, like the other one was. Compassion or empathy, right? Gross.”

The alien frowned during the next pause.

“Yeah, I _know_ they should have more than one color! That’s the weird bit! Do you not listen to a word I say or-” they were quickly cut off. “What do you mean, that’s what the girl had.”

**Run.**

Aria winced.

The ice around her didn’t seem to show any sign of breaking. This wasn’t good.

“No, Ritzu. You listen to _me_. What do you mean, that’s what the Pretty Cure had?”

Madison stopped dead in her struggling. Aria met her eyes.

“Pretty Cure,” Madison mouthed.

Aria couldn’t have missed those words even if she had wanted to.

Another Pretty Cure. Another one. And Madison and Aria were caught in the middle yet again.

**No, you won’t be. Just run.**

The pounding of Aria’s headache cleared for just a moment.

This seemed too familiar.

“These girls are...potential Pretty Cure? Like _they_ were? Can’t be.” The alien looked at Madison with a shocked look on her face. It almost appeared to be fear.

“Yeah, yeah, I believe you. It’s just...they’re so much weaker than them. It’s almost sad. ...What? No, I’m not scared!”

Madison went to struggle again, but her fear was written all over her face.

“They’re children, Ritzu. If I can’t drain a few children, I’d rather kill myself.”

Aria breathed in and out. It was going to be okay. It had to be okay.

Something almost like courage swelled up inside her.

“Right,” she affirmed to the heart. “I’ll bring them in. Then you can do what you want with the bodies.”

Bodies.

Aria’s courage left her in an instant.

The alien’s eyes flicked over to Aria.

“Blue,” she muttered. “Blue again.”

She smiled, grey fangs sliding over her lips.

“Sorry to cut this short, but..” The next words came out in a hiss that made Aria shiver.

“ _It’s time to say goodbye._ ”

No.

Aria and her thoughts were in unison.

**_No!_ **

“SPARKLING-”

The window shattered, glass raining down on the frozen students.

Aria screamed, attempting to move her crystallized hands to cover her head, but they wouldn’t budge.

The significantly less frozen Madison managed to cover herself, but shards still sliced her arms, leaving bright red trails in their wake.

Was that...a person who had crashed through the window?

“IMPACT!”

A fist coated in blindingly yellow energy smashed into the heart the alien was holding.

The person landed, breathing heavily.

They turned to face Aria, and-

No.

No, no, no.

“RUN!”

It couldn’t be.

Even as the frost creeping up her neck flaked off, as the crystals broke around her, Aria didn’t want to believe what was happening.

Because although she had changed, even though she had a black mask and cloak on, Aria could see the yellow and blue and pink that had been her last glimpse of normality six months ago.

“You have to RUN!” shouted Cure Star.

Aria felt like she was going to vomit.

“ARIA!”

Madison wrenched Aria’s arm, pulling her out of the last vestiges of crystal encompassing her feet.

And Aria ran.

“You,” hissed the alien.

“Me,” affirmed Cure Star.

Blinding yellow light shone behind Aria, but she didn’t notice. She had to run.

* * *

 Rune was a kuriline, and a proud one at that.

Her greatest achievement had been the capture of Cure Star’s fairy, Lune.

In fact, that’s why she changed her codename to Rune. She had surpassed the moon, and she would place herself above it.  
To see Cure Star herself standing there, more determined than ever...it was an _insult_.

Of course Rune knew she had escaped. Ritzu had almost killed the Trinity for it.

But the fact that she had survived the escape attempt, that was an infuriating thought.

“You look different, _Cure Star_. Did Nebulous truly break you that badly?”

Cure Star did not falter.

“You look different as well, Crystal. Oh, sorry, Rune. I can’t keep all your identity crises straight.”

Rune hissed in response. Cure Star smirked.

The tension was thick in the air as they stood. Star was buying time for the two proteges she freed, Rune knew. But it was useless. Ritzu would find them before long, and there would be no bodies left.

“So we going to do this, or-?” Rune was cut off by Cure Star rushing towards her, fist already glowing with yellow energy.

Rune dodged effortlessly, and grinned.

“Perfect,” she hissed.

Channeling energy to her hands, Rune froze the ground under Cure Star.

Star skidded to the side, punching the ground to destroy the crystals underneath. She was wasting precious time, mused Rune.

Rune slashed Star’s face with small violet claws. Red blood ran down her face.

“Sparkling Impact!” she called, striking Rune in the gut. Air rushed out of her, leaving Rune gasping slightly.

That hurt. That _always_ hurt.

“Don’t get cocky,” Rune snarled. A blast of energy from her hands, and Star was pushed back, crashing into awfully mundane shelves.

Cure Star’s eyes darted to a frozen human next to her.

Ah, human weakness. How pitiful.

But she’d break the humans in front of the Pretty Cure later. Right now, she had to break _her_.

A crystal staff formed out of nothing for Rune to grasp. She rushed forward, expecting to meet Cure Star’s sword as she had done so many times in the past-

The staff struck Star across her face, slamming her into the wall. She winced as she opened her eyes and steadied herself.

“What’s the matter, Cure Star?” Rune mocked. “Don’t think I’m worth the effort today?”

Cure Star breathed heavily, violet eyes narrow.

Rune loved this. The anger, the fear, the frustration - it was all so much fun to see them break apart.

It was almost sad to see her greatest challenge flake so easily, though. She guessed that was just how it was after they had tortured her half to death. It was a shame.

Though, the torture _had_ been fun.

Rune supposed she could always do it again. At that thought, she grinned.

Cure Star was muttering something.

“Sword,” she mumbled. “Moonlight Sword. Moonlight Sword, come to me.”

Nothing happened.

“Lune, please,” she pleaded. “Lune, I’m sorry. Please. Moonlight Sword, come to me…”

Aw, she was calling out for her fairy. How touching.

“And how many times have you tried that?” Rune asked, triumphant. “Your fairy is nothing anymore, Cure Star. They are a shell of their former self.”

A second staff materialized. Rune scraped them across the floor as she walked towards Star.

“Just like you,” she crowed.

Cure Star laughed.

“Maybe I am,” Star said. “But that’s okay.”

“Pretty Cure!”

What was that voice? Rune didn’t recognize it at all!

“Silver….!”

Cure Star met her gaze triumphantly.

“Cure Celestial can take my place.”

“VORTEX!”

Light.

Blinding, horrifying, shining pink light.

 

Ritzu had said something, before Star had interrupted everything.

“The messenger found their hope.”

 _That cryptic bitch,_ Rune thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS, YOU ASK  
> I DON'T KNOW BUT I'M GETTING LUNCH, I ANSWER


	4. "Please, don't give up hope." A past life long forgotten?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone recalled it differently. Everyone dealt with it differently.

Madison didn’t calm down until she reached her house.

Her brother wasn’t home yet from his job. Good. She didn’t need questions about coming home early.

Well, there was an earthquake. He wouldn’t have questioned it much anyway, she supposed.

She had almost forgot about that, hadn’t she?

Cure Star. She had seen Cure Star. It had been six months, and Cure Star was alive.

That was a...terrifying thought.

She’d covered up her outfit. A black cloak covered her teal and pink bodice, long sleeves hiding white puffy cuffs and white gloves. She still had the dark blue and pink ribbons holding up blond pigtails, though.

The thing Madison had noticed the most, though, was the black cloth acting as a mask. It had been useless, but if Madison didn’t know better…

Cure Star didn’t want people to know she existed.

Madison lay on her bed, staring up at nothing.

Her ankles felt numb, as if there was still phantom ice encasing her feet. Small cuts peppered her arms, most likely from the glass that had fallen on her.

God, Aria’s _face_ when she had saw Cure Star. The two of them had been scared by the alien, sure, but Cure Star - Cure Star had scared them more than any stranger could have.

Was that really so surprising? The Pretty Cure had appeared out of nowhere, changed their lives battling monsters and “protecting” people.

And then, when everyone thought things could be normal again…

People had taken video of the event. People had quietly taken it down from the internet, over the months, because no one wanted to watch that.

Outside of Keres, no one believed what had happened.

Inside of Keres, no one remembered what had happened, really. Everyone just shoved the memories away, and never touched them.

And now she was back. Alive.

The only one who had survived.

Madison just wanted to sleep. No, scratch that, she wanted to wake up and make everything that had happened that day a bad dream.

The clock ticked over to 11:35. The day was not even halfway over.

Madison groaned and rolled over to her side.

She couldn’t think about what had happened. Just push it out, push it away-

No.

If the world insisted on bringing it back to haunt her, Madison would make them regret it.

They were going to _regret it_.

Just as she felt herself drifting off to a fitful sleep, Madison forced herself awake.

There was a journal stashed in the very bottom of her desk drawer. Madison hadn’t touched it in months.

So she pushed herself off her bed and went to sit at her desk.

_The world was going to regret it._

* * *

  _8/20/12_

_High school! Woo!_

_It’s not that much different from middle school yet, actually. I miss all my friends already…_

_But it’s not like I came here alone! There are some really nice kids here!_

_There’s one girl named Angela in the grade above me. What a cool name, right? She’s super cool, and I hope we get to be friends!_

 

_8/25/12_

_Ugh, homework is the worst!_

_Like, it’s the first week! So I’m spending my weekend messing with a bunch of syllabuses. Syllabi?_

_Nevermind! It’s stupid, and this homework is stupid._

_Least Angela’s gonna help me with it. We have the same free block! Isn’t that cool?_

 

_9/4/12_

_Me and Angela went out for snacks today! It was really cool! Though she had to go really early._

_I think I might need more than one friend. Everyone else seems to have their groups already, and I’m just...me._

_But it’ll be okay! I know I can change!_

 

_10/11/12_

_I haven’t written in here for a while, have I?_

_Uh, me and Angela aren’t as close friends anymore. It’s not like anything bad happened! She’s just...really busy. But it’s gonna be fine, I’ll find more friends!_

_Halloween’s coming up, isn’t it? It’ll be great!_

 

_10/31/12_

_I went to a party. I don’t really want to talk about it._

_I think I don’t like crowds very much._

 

_11/3/12_

_I joined a after-school martial arts thing! There’s a girl a few years below me in here, and she’s really cool!_

_Her name’s Chikara Oshiro. She’s really strong!_

_I mean it! I kinda still have bruises from when we sparred…_

 

_11/22/12_

_Chikara came over to my house for Thanksgiving! Not really sure why, cause she didn’t want to tell me._

_But it’s cool! We had a great time, and ate pie, and ice cream, and my stomach hurts._

_I have martial arts tomorrow though. I think Chikara’s gonna beat me up!_

 

_12/18/12_

_It’d be really weird to have a crush on your best friend, right?_

_Like, especially if she’s a girl. That’d be weird, right?_

_Cause I keep looking at Chikara when she’s sparring. She’s getting really buff, actually! When we spar outside of class, she doesn’t wear the uniform, so I can see her shoulders and arms and stuff._

_She’s really pretty._

_It’s probably just a friend thing._

 

_12/26/12_

_She came over today to check out my gifts. We played the Wii U all day._

_I made her laugh so hard she fell off the couch._

_Her laugh is pretty, too._

_I don’t think it’s a friend thing._

 

_1/1/13_

_Happy New Year!!!_

_Another friend came over to my house today. She’s one of Chikara’s friends, actually!_

_Her best friend!_

_I think her name was Niko Andros?_

 

_2/14/13_

_I think Chikara likes Niko more than she likes me._

_That would make sense, wouldn’t it?_

_I mean, I’m in high school, and Niko’s in eighth grade like her, and it should make sense…_

_So I shouldn’t be sad, right?_

_We’re still best friends. It’s okay._

_I gave her white chocolate. It’s her favourite._

_She got me a pack of mochi. It was delicious._

 

_3/15/13_

_Some people at school think I’m weird for always hanging out with middle schoolers._

_Lucky for them, I don’t care what they think._

_Unluckily for them, Chikara does._

_One of the guys who goes to our martial arts class went home with a broken nose today._

_Chikara is suspended from the class for a week._

 

_5/3/13_

_Finals are the worst!! But at least I have Chikara and Niko._

_They’re my best friends. Niko’s pretty cool, but Chikara…  
_ _  
_ _She’s so pretty, you know? Her hair, and her eyes, and her laugh, and everything._

_We went out today for pity milkshakes after a super hard math test._

_We ate fries, and Chikara burned her tongue, and we doused the fries in enough salt that Niko made a face while we ate them!_

_I’m really happy. Really, really happy._

 

_6/7/13_

_I have to remember that this journal exists!_

_Well, it’s summer vacation now. I went to the beach with Chikara today!_

_Did you know we have nicknames for each other now? Chikara calls me J instead of Juli!_

_I call her Kara._

_Niko doesn’t have a nickname yet. Her name’s kinda hard after all!_

 

_6/20/13_

_I think Niko thinks I don’t like her._

_She’s got two new friends now, Madison and Aria._

_How do I tell her that I like her?_

_Yeah, Chikara really_ really _likes her, but I don’t think she knows. So I can’t be mad._

_It isn’t her fault. It’s no one’s fault but my own for being really stupid._

 

_6/30/13_

_Niko isn’t answering my calls._

_Chikara says something happened._

_No one will tell me anything. I feel so useless._

 

_7/7/13_

_I got to write this down, because I don’t think I can tell anyone about this._

_I know what happened to Niko. It’s happening to a lot of people, all over._

_Her memories of me got stolen._

_I know, I know it sounds stupid, but you have to listen._

_There’s someone, no, some_ thing _here._

_There’s a little bat sitting in my room. Their name is Lune._

_I’m not crazy, I swear._

_They want me to become something called Pretty Cure and fight against these villains - “the Outer Limits”._

_Apparently what they do is steal people’s memories with happiness attached to them. No, more than happiness. Love._

_They take the memories and change them into monsters known as Seikais. The people with stolen memories will never know what was taken from them, that their corrupted love is hurting others._

_Unless I help._

 

_Corrupted love..._

_You know what?_

_I think Niko liked me after all._

 

_7/8/13_

_I did it. I became a Pretty Cure._

_I’m Cure Star. Colors blinking in the sky, rays of justice that shine down below._

_I’m coated in pink, actually. A big pink skirt, and a light pink bodice, and red ribbons, and white cuffs and gloves...it’s kinda ridiculous. I like it._

_I can’t do this alone, Lune says. They’re saying I need a partner._

_Lune says I’m the pink Pretty Cure, the leader. I need a partner, a blue Pretty Cure._

_I know exactly who to find._

 

_7/15/13_

_It took a while, but I did it._

_Chikara Oshiro, my best friend in the whole world, is a Pretty Cure._

_Cure Aster. Feathers dancing in the sky, sparking light refracting off of them._

_We’re unstoppable together._

_There’s nothing we can’t do._

 

_7/30/13_

_I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time._

_The two of us are Pretty Cure._ _  
_ _We’re_ famous _. There’s merchandise of us, and a manga, and plushies, and it’s just like!! Wow!!_

_We can go so fast, and so high, and my heart pounds so much when I’m Pretty Cure with Aster!_

_I never want to detransform! I wish I could be with Aster like this forever!_

_So we’re gonna fight the Seikais, and defeat evil, and love ourselves, and it’s gonna be great!!_

_I’m so happy!!!_

 

_8/14/13_

_Things are getting hard. The Seikais are becoming stronger, and we don’t know why._

_Lune says it’s time for a new Pretty Cure. I suggested Niko. We haven’t found her memories yet, but I’m sure we can._

_Lune says no. Turning a victim of the Outer Limits into a Pretty Cure without their memories being restored could hurt them._

_There’s a new girl in our martial arts class._

_We don’t go a lot anymore, but she sticks out._

_Her name is Kasumi Mitasha._

_I think she’s perfect!_

 

_8/30/13_

_We can’t do this much longer._

_We’re going to go ask her tomorrow to help us._

 

_9/1/13_

**[the page is scribbled out in black marker.]**

 

_9/13/13_

**[the page is wet. Only parts of the page are legible.]**

_..ave to….save them. I’m…rry. ...o, so, sorry._

_...kara, I’ll aveng…_

_Have to....ow, in case....back._

_I don’t care any….e._

_Fuck all of them._

_…..ko, everyo...  
_

_...wanted to say I'm...._

 

**[The rest of the book is empty.]**

* * *

Cure Star and Cure Aster. The Starlight Duo.  
****

Cure Star was pink. Red ribbons in her hair, rosy glasses, sparkling purple eyes...she was an icon.

When Cure Aster joined, they became superheroes. Cure Aster was blue, an almost poncho-like coat draped over her in contrast to Star’s almost ballet-like attire.

The two of them were heroes. Heroes of light, and justice, and love.

And she was to take their place? No way.

Niko crashed on her bed, breathing heavily.

For a first day as the Starlight Duo’s replacement, it was pretty heavy.

After driving away Ritzu, she had been approached by a girl completely covered in a black cloak.

 _“This way,”_ she had said. “ _They attacked two places. We have to move quickly._ ”

She had jumped just as high as Celestial, ran just as fast. If it wasn’t for her unassuming outfit, Niko would have thought she was Pretty Cure.

Sollari hadn’t supplied any answers. In fact, they had stayed almost eerily silent the entire time.

The girl had stayed far ahead the entire time, and Celestial had eventually lost track of her. That was, until Sollari had spoken up for the first time.

 _“That girl...that girl feels like Lune, ari_ .” They had mumbled. _“I can sense her, ari. She’s up...up ahead, ari.”_

Sollari had seemed scared. Niko hadn’t really thought about it much.

Finally, they had made it to Niko’s school. Niko didn’t want to think about why they had attacked _her_ school - it had to be a coincidence, right? They weren’t actively looking for her, only Sollari, right?

The girl had been thrown against a wall, that much Niko could see through the shattered window.

There were kids, frozen in what looked like crystal - Niko’s classmates. Madison and Aria could have been in there, frozen just like the rest.

Something had snapped inside Celestial at that thought, and she had blasted the room with a Silver Vortex before she could assess anything.

The girl had smiled, and the only other moving figure had turned to face Celestial with a shocked look.

Sollari said her name was Rune. Something called a kuriline? A shapeshifter that could store energy in her antenna’s bulbs.

That hadn’t mattered in the moment, though. Everything had been swallowed by pink light. The Silver Vortex had been so much _stronger_ than before, stronger than the power Niko thought she had as Celestial.

It was scary, she had thought.

Then she had woken up, detransformed, in her room.

Niko had panicked for a bit, wondering if she had dreamed it all, but no. Sollari was there.

They had said the girl had earlier had picked Niko up after she fainted from using too much energy, and taken her back here.

How she knew where Niko lived, Sollari had no clue. They said they had never seen her before.

What a day, Niko thought bitterly. Fight one bird man, chase after another, and then faint.

She didn’t think she was really cut out to replace the Starlight Duo, but Niko supposed there wasn’t much of a choice. At least it was kind of fun, having the freedom and the power to do anything.

“Sollari?” The messenger fairy’s ears perked up before they turned to face Niko.

“You mentioned Cure Star, but never Cure Aster. Why?”

Sollari blinked.

“Who’s Cure Aster, ari?”

That couldn't be right.

Before the fall of everything, of everyone, there was merchandise made. Niko still had some - she was one of the few to not throw it away or burn it or anything.

A plushie here, a toy Moonlit Sword there, but there wasn’t a lot of merch Niko had with Aster on it, although she was her favorite.

There. A pencil case with stylized versions of the cures, posing happily. Niko pulled it out of the heap of supplies it lay on and showed it to Sollari.

“The blue one. There.”

Sollari looked up at Niko with wide eyes.

“I’ve never seen either of those cures before, ari.”

Niko started to feel sick.

“Then...what do you mean by Cure Star?”

Sollari looked up, perfectly serene.

“The yellow one, ari! With the pink skirt, and blue ribbons, and black boots, ari! Wasn’t she the hero of this town, ari? About six months back, ari?”

There had been videos, for a while.

Videos of the town’s hero, Cure Star, picking up a girl’s body and screaming.

She hugged the girl in the shimmering blue dress, and she screamed, and she was crying.

Then everything had gone, in a flash of yellow light.

And a new Cure Star had stepped out of the wreckage. Pink, and teal, and yellow, and filled with absolute, undying _rage_.

There had been another girl. One with long, dark purple hair, and a heart-shaped locket on her necklace.

The two of them had fought. It had gone on for about an hour when the second girl stopped, anger and fear written all over her face.

She had only said one thing, in the end.

 _“Ashen • Absolution_.”

All the videos ended there. Every single one.

And when everyone arrived, after the message had broadcasted in their heads, what had they found?

Backpacks. Laptops. School supplies.

The fight had ended in a school.

And the teenagers, eagerly videoing the fight, were never seen again.

That had been the end of the Starlight Duo, and the Seikais, and everything. The second girl was never identified. Cure Star was presumed dead.

And everyone went on with their lives afterward.

* * *

 “Jesus, it’s been a while. Yet this town is still goddamn boring. That’s a feat.”

A girl in a teal and red hoodie walked up to a coffee cart at seven pm, grinning.

“Yo, whatever your strongest coffee is? Give me that. In a large.”

“Huh?” A barista with bobbed pink hair’s attention was pulled from cleaning to the mysterious girl.

“I got money. Is this place closed, or…?”

The barista shook her head.

“No, no, we’re open! Sorry, was just a bit distracted.” She pushed hair out of her eyes, smiling brightly. “Could I get a name?”

“Pretty sure I’m the only one here…” the girl sighed. She shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”

“It’s Kasumi. Kasumi Mitasha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how the godforsaken hell did i do this  
> i swear to god i didn't mean to update so fast. it just?? happened???
> 
> don't expect this again i;m the most uninspired person known to man  
> enjoy...depression, i guess.
> 
> we were supposed to get cure comet but instead you got depression. crogrates


	5. Darkness of the heart, Nebulous! Rise up, Pretty Cure!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An everlasting balance. An everlasting fight.

The Outer Limits.

It was as warped as the name suggested. A place that was always moving, outside the boundaries of time and space, but yet eerily, coldly still.

The location could best be described as a moonscape. A cold, rocky ground, refracting dull light upon its inhabitants.

Dark pools of unknown substance dotted the ground. No reflection appeared upon gazing into them, yet the stars twinkled across the pools’ surface.

There was only one real landmark of the Outer Limits.

Upon a silver plateau lay a temple, with ominous, angular grey spires that reached to the heavens. Clear prism windows carved a spot in the sides of the temple, a rusted copper bell wearily hanging from the highest tower.

Ritzu stalked their way back to the temple, dark blue wings twitching and a permanent scowl on their face.

Failure was for the Trinity, for Rune and Mercury and Nebulous. Failure was not for Ritzu, the general of the Outer Limits, the messenger of darkness. No, failure was not for them.

Yet there they were, head hung in defeat.

It was humiliating.

_Humiliating._

The only solace was that Rune had been far more hurt. She had gone ahead to the temple, Ritzu only getting a glimpse of her as she stormed past. Her bulbs had sparked with energy, eyes narrow and hissed curses muttered under her breath.

Ritzu smiled at that. Rune deserved to be knocked down a peg. She was too confident for such a coward.

Rune said there was a reason she had to get back to the temple immediately. Something about crucial information.

Whatever. Rune thought even a hint of potential Pretty Cure energy was crucial.

The wide doors to the temple creaked open as Ritzu’s shadow tendrils pushed on them.

The temple was as grey and sordid inside as it was on the outside.

Ashen pews lined the interior, seemingly solid but malleable enough that it could swallow an entire person inside it. They were used to heal for the most part, the darkened ashes of creation fixing injuries in a single night.

They used to be so much better, back when they had light. Back when Nebulous had returned, triumphant, and Ritzu had physical, shining, stardrops.

They had felt like they had won. Cure Star was with them, the Lunar Messenger chained. The world was at their fingertips.

But things were rarely that simple. Either they extracted the spark of a Precure, an almost impossible task to complete without the spark shattering and the Precure dying, or they obtained a Solar Messenger to combine their powers with the Lunar Messenger and create an artificial spark.

Precure were, frustratingly, hard to break.

Ritzu knew that it was a stroke of luck that it had been that particular Solar Messenger that had come, and that it had made such an inexperienced Pretty Cure. But the fact that it had escaped at all enraged them.

No matter what, they had to report it.

Down the aisle, instead of an altar, was a simple heart icon engraved on the floor. The gateway to the universe.

Or, as it was used right now, the gateway to Earth.

Beyond that were several mirrors, gateways to their own pocket dimensions. The Trinity’s dimension; Ritzu’s own, where the Lunar Messenger was chained; and their leader’s.  
  
The Everlasting.

Ritzu paused as one of their hands’ fingertips grazed the rippling surface. They had failed, for the first time in a long while. It would not be fun to admit it.

They mused if they should attempt to avoid it.

And then Rune jumped out of the mirror straight into them.

Ritzu fell onto the ground, a tangle of feathers and arms with Rune’s lithe body. She screeched in a hiss, pounding on Ritzu’s chest until she successfully slipped out of the mess she had made.

“Watch it!” she hissed, standing up and fixing her antennae.

“I’m not the one who wasn’t looking through the goddamn mirror,” Ritzu muttered. They sighed. “Why were you even in the Everlasting’s dimension, Rune? Nothing happened to you that didn’t happen to me.”

Rune narrowed her eyes.

“I doubt that.”

“Then what happened, _Rune_? I’m your boss, you need to report to me.” Ritzu knew they were playing up their own role, but Rune could be irritatingly cocky at times.

Of course, she was irritating at all times.

“I was attacked.”

Ritzu would have raised an eyebrow if they weren’t under their mask.

“By Cure Star.”

Oh.

Rune straightened herself, pleased with Ritzu’s reaction, and stormed off towards the Trinity’s mirror.

“Rune, wait, iri-!” Ritzu tried to cut themselves off before the tic escaped them, but it was already out.

Rune turned, a puzzled look on her face.

“What did you just say?”

Ah, so she had heard that. Ritzu held up a shadowy hand.

“Don’t.” Ritzu shook their head violently. “Not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

Ritzu sighed.

“Get Nebulous. Tell her to take the spark by any means necessary.”

Rune looked unconvinced.

“If she does it wrong, the Cure will die, you know.”

Ritzu scowled. They felt rage bubbling up within them. Cure Star. _Cure Star_.

There was only one thing that the Outer Limits needed to return to strength. It wasn’t the spark.

“I want Cure Star _dead_. I want to see her corpse, Rune. I don’t care if we get the spark or not. Besides…”

They thought back to the pink light, the slight tremor of the earth, and a silver cape and golden eyes.

“We don’t need her anymore.”

* * *

 It was two days after the attack on the school when Madison felt it.

The sting in her head, a pain that pounded through her own skull. Just like...just like what had happened with the alien.

 _I know you’re listening,_ she thought.

**Madison?**

That hadn’t been the response she was expecting. Madison jolted upright in her bed, her head banging against her bedframe in surprise.

The school was still shut, investigating the attack. Madison doubted they’d find anything, but she stayed home at the request of her brother.

“I think you’re a magnet for this kind of stuff,” he had joked. Madison had laughed at the time.

Though really, it seemed he wasn’t far off.

 _Focus,_ she told herself.

“How do you know my name?” she asked aloud.

**A friend told me. Her name is Cure Celestial, and she wants you to be careful.**

“How would this Cure Celestial know my name?” Madison replied, more talking to herself than the voice.

**That’s a bit more complicated. Please, I need you to promise me something.**

“Why?”

**I know you’re reasonable, and it’s been fine for two days already, but...just stay where you are. Don’t go outside, don’t draw attention to yourself.**

Madison blinked. What the hell?

 **I know you’re confused, and it’s understandable. But I can’t risk it -** **_we_ ** **can’t risk it. Not you and Aria. If they got you, they could…**

“Who’s they?!” she blurted. God, she hated this vague nonsense! It was always vague whenever she needed answers.

**Nebulous is here. She wants stardrops, and she’s looking for you, Aria, and...one other person.**

Madison had an uncanny feeling that she knew exactly who the third person was.

“Does she think we’re Pretty Cure or something?” The words had barely left her before she realized how ridiculous she sounded. Pretty Cure? Her and Aria? Please.

Like they had that kind of world-changing power.

 **Yes.** **Because you** ** _could_** **be.**

Madison’s jaw actually dropped. It was cliche and she knew it, but there was no other real reaction.

**Cure Celestial will do her best to keep you two safe so it doesn’t come to that. Until then, stay inside.**

**We have to track down Cure Star**.

And with that perfect bombshell, the ache left her. The voice was gone.

Fantastic.

“Cure Celestial.” Madison tested the name. It didn’t give her the _dread_ that Cure Star did, but there was still something there. An air of distrust.

Well, if they were tracking down Cure Star - to join with her? To fight her? - Madison couldn’t stay still.

Cure Star had saved _her_. Her and Aria. It had to be for a reason.

Like hell Madison was going to stay safe. The danger either came to her, or she sought it out.

And today was a day for seeking out danger.

* * *

 Aria probably should have listened to the voice in her head.

Ah, this was a stupid idea. The voice had said to her, don’t go back to the school, someone named Cure Celestial will be there looking for Cure Star-

But Aria had stopped listening at that point. Cure Star. She wanted to see Cure Star again.

Cure Celestial wasn’t here, though. Neither was Cure Star.

Instead there was a girl sitting on the edge of the gym roof, sipping a coffee.

With a teal hoodie with a bright red heart on it, a faded purple skirt, it should all be normal and plain on a girl. But the girl had dark, faded red eyes and long violet hair, giving her an unnatural air.

It was similar to the feeling Aria had gotten from Cure Star.

Aria stared up at the girl. The girl seemed not to notice.

Aria blinked, and then she was gone, the coffee left behind the only proof of the girl's existence.

“Ah, so you’re the one Rune talked about.”

With a start, Aria turned around. The purple-haired girl was now behind her, smiling sweetly with narrowed eyes.

“Stardrops are all one color. Though yours are _blue_ , not pink...could just be Rune. Kurilines’ eyes are shitty anyway.”

The girl stepped back, smirking.

“Alright, then. I knew you were going to be here - heard your little fairy’s broadcast. Not very hard to tap that, you know?”

Oh god. The girl thought...thought _she_ was Cure Celestial.

“I’m not Cure-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re not Star. You don’t need to tell me - you look goddamn nothing like her.” Aria’s heart started to pound. She wasn’t a Pretty Cure, she couldn’t be a Pretty Cure, she didn’t want to be a Pretty Cure-!

“Not gonna transform? Fine. Then I’ll do it.”

The girl spread her arms wide.

“Change! Mirror my heart!”

A heart necklace around the girl’s neck flew open, the mirror shining bright. In a flash of purple light, the girl’s outfit was immediately different. It was if her casual outfit had turned into some sort of teal and red trenchcoat.

Wait.

Purple hair. Teal top, red trenchcoat like bottom. Red eyes…

The girl from the video six months ago.

“You recognize me?” The girl asked mockingly. “I am Nebulous, servant of the Everlasting and member of the Outer Limits’ Trinity.”

The girl - well, Aria supposed it was Nebulous, then - made a face.

“Ugh, I hate doing that intro. Remember the name, Precure.”

“I’m not a Pretty Cure!” Aria protested, her hands clenched so tightly into fists her knuckles were turning white.

“Oh?” Nebulous narrowed her eyes. “You don’t take pride in it? Probably a smart choice.”

“You don’t understand, I’m not-”

“ARIA!”

For a second, Aria’s heart soared. It could be the Pretty Cure, coming to take down Nebulous themselves and save Aria.

The hope was dashed as soon as Aria saw Madison’s wide-eyed face coming closer and closer.

Breathing heavily, Madison stopped in front of Aria, glaring at Nebulous.

“And who are you?”

Nebulous sighed, exasperation on her face.

“I’m not doing the speech again. Don’t give a shit what Ritzu says about name recognition.”

Aria looked at Madison, and smiled apologetically.

“Says her name is Nebulous, of something called the Outer Limits. I think she’s looking for the Pretty Cure?”

That got Madison’s attention.

“Like the alien that attacked us two days ago.”

Aria nodded.

Nebulous looked utterly disinterested.

“So are you two going to reminisce about Rune’s crappy job at killing you, or are we actually going to get on with our lives? _Transform_ , Pretty Cure.”

Aria held Madison’s hand.

Pretty Cure this, Pretty Cure that. Why couldn’t she just understand? Why couldn’t she just leave them _alone_?!

Aria trembled with a mix of anticipation and anger.

And all at once, the words rushed out.  
  
“For the last time, we aren’t Pretty Cure! I can’t be! _We_ can’t be! I want to protect Madison, and Niko, and all that...but I don’t have that strength, okay?! I’m just human!”

Madison looked at her, eyes wide.

“You can attack me if you want! I don’t care! I came here to get answers, and all I found was you! So just try me - but I won’t let you hurt Madison, Pretty Cure or not!”

Aria’s eyes watered. God, not now! She cried easily, but she was trying to prove a point, don’t cry-!

“She’s my best friend...Madison and Niko are my best friends in the world! I can’t lose anyone else!”

Nebulous smirked.

“Ah, I see. You’re just potentials, then. Disappointing. Still, nice of you to pour your heart out like that.” She grinned a bit wider. “Easier to break it that way.”

Madison tensed, holding Aria’s hand tighter.

“Aria, she’s gonna do something, run-”

“ASHEN • ABSOLUTION!”

In no time at all, Nebulous formed a heart shape with her hand, picking up her locket with it. The locket itself flew open, the mirror shining an unnatural violet, until the ground itself seemed to wither beneath Nebulous’ feet.

“Aria,” Madison muttered. “We’re in over our depth. We need to go.”

Aria shook her head.

“She’ll follow us,” she replied.

The clasp of their hands became ever stronger, fingers beginning to bleach white and a slight tremble in each hand.

Madison laughed slightly, a humourless sound of _we fucked up_.

“Should have stayed home like she said,” she laughed.

Aria smiled.

“You never were good at staying out of trouble.”

The greying ground crept towards them, but Madison and Aria held their ground. They didn’t know what was happening, what it was leading to, or much of anything, really.

But they didn’t want to run, for whatever reason.

Maybe it was because they had run before, six months ago.

Maybe it was just because they were stubborn, the two of them.

Maybe…

“Shimmering blue light of love, protect me from despair.” Madison tilted her head at Aria’s mumbled prayer of sorts.

“Blazing orange light of passion, protect me from despair,” Madison echoed. Why “orange light of passion” had come out of her mouth instead of “blue light of love,” she didn’t know.  
  
Maybe it was absolutely nothing at all.

* * *

 Sollari was gripping onto Cure Celestial’s shoulder when they felt it.

A tenuous connection to the sun, to the bright potential of Pretty Cure. Their eyes flickered gold, the stripe on their head shimmering, their tail twitching.

Someone had said _it_. The call, the prayer to Hope.

“Celestial, ari! There’s people in trouble, ari!”

Celestial looked at them as they ran across building tops to the closed Luros Preparatory.

“Where?”  
  
Sollari squeezed their eyes shut, but couldn’t focus enough.

“I can’t tell, ari...it seems to be blocked by the power of darkness, ari.” That was a really bad excuse, but Celestial seemed to buy it.

“Well, we’ll take care of the Outer Limits first, right?” Celestial jumped off the roof, landing softly on the ground.

Sollari squirmed in place. Something was wrong here. Both of the powers...seemed to be familiar.

The power of the stars was always familiar, a feeling of home and hope wrapped together. But the power of the void...they shouldn’t have recognized it.

No matter what, they had to fight for the stars. It would be okay, right?

**Please…**

Sollari perked up, their ears stiffening.

 **Protect us from despair!  
** **  
** Sollari froze. The world went greyscale around them, Celestial’s words fading into a burst of static.

They were a solar messenger. They must protect everyone from despair, from the power of the void.

Sollari leapt off Celestial’s shoulder, hitting the ground running. They clambered up the locked gate, scampering across the empty hallways.

A glimmer of orange and blue was there, just out of reach. If they could just reach them-!

Sollari burst out into the courtyard to see two girls holding hands tightly against the dark power of the void. Their stardrops shone with fear and determination all at once.

Sollari backed up, and sprung up with their hind legs, reaching out to the girls. The two turned, eyes widening. The dark power crept up their legs, to their hips, to their chests.

“I won’t leave you behind, ari! I’ll save you, ari!”

Celestial was yelling for them, but Sollari focused their power to the sky above, to the sun shining down on them.

“FIGHT, ARI!”

Color returned to Sollari’s vision as they caught the girls’ hands where they connected, and curled around them tightly.

Twin rays of light shone from the girls’ chests. One bright orange, a flame of strength, and one cool blue, a pool of love.

Light expanding, and twisting, souls bursting forth to create hope.

The power of darkness recoiled as the third figure, a girl a Sollari hadn’t noticed, flinched at the shining light.

Wait, no. That couldn’t be right. There was something within that girl, too.

Not stardrops, per se, and that should have struck Sollari as strange. But the red energy quivering within her wanted to reach out to Sollari’s call. They could feel it.

The girl rushed Sollari’s twin wards, and Sollari stiffened, hissing at her like an angry earth animal.

She finally stepped back as Sollari’s wards were enveloped in orange and blue light, eyes still locked onto Sollari.

It was probably nothing anyway. After all...

No matter what, she was from the Outer Limits. And Sollari had sworn to protect all they could from that dark power of the void.

No matter what, they would help these girls. They always rushed into this, and they wished they could do something without using this power, but they didn’t have a choice.

Sollari would never let another world fall because of their own fear.

“No matter what, ari.”

* * *

_“Don’t go.”_

_“C’mon, Sumi! It’s the ultimate fight. We have to win. We will win!”_

_“But what if you l̖̫͎̺̼̭̪̲͎̮͙̄̋͌̏ͥ̏̄͜͟͞͠͠o̧̜̹̫̯̘̝̼͚̼̤̩̿̇̄ͭ̅̇͒̽̉͐͒ͫ͟͠͞s͉͔̖̭̱̹̾̂͐͐̽̑͌͟͢͟ḙ̵̷̴̺̻̠̪̘̗͈͙͉̗̜̳̪̱̉ͥ͌ͩ̀ͧ̓͗ͧ̃͐̄͛̚͘͠ͅ?̸̿ͪ̍ͬ͊̊͐̈ͥ͗̚͏̠̥͓̘͖̤͇̰̟͚̠͈̣̘͓̯̹̫”̷̬͖̖͚ͪ̌ͣ̿̎ͥ͑ͮ̑̌̕_

_“We won’t lose, Kasumi. Not with you behind us.”_

“̨̰̻͍͚̪̠̮̼ͮͤ̐ͬͣͪͫͭͭ̆̚͝I̱̲̖̠̦̫̼̾ͭͦ̾̽͂ͪ̽̓͜͝͡ ̨̡̢̖͍̱͙͎͈̦̖͔̣͔̪͊͒̓ͫ̈́ͫ̌͑ͯ̊̋͑ͦ͞l̵̢̳̤̲̞̳̘ͫ̈ͬ̿̌͌ͅơ̴̺̹͈̱̮̽ͨ̽̈͠v̧̙͈͓̬̰̟̳̙͖̱̲͓̮͈̞̱̭̠̆̎͊͗̏̂̎̉͋ͫ̄̕͡͝ͅě̶̷̠͔̞̞̯͙̹̘̝̯̝͉̭̞͔͐̾́̇̽ͪͭ͟ ̡̬̘̖̙͉̖̜́͗̊̔ͫ̆ͭ͆͝y̏̏́̌ͬ̍̓̓̋̄҉͈̲̲̻̞͕͈̝͉̦͚͍͘͢o̵̝͖̹̙͉͈̪̲̹͇̫͚̜̠̬͈̠͚̮ͤ͋̉̎͑́̅̽̐͋͂ͦ͐͐͛͑͜u̸̡̘͍͉̮͙͙̯̰̜̥̼͓͕̺͓̞̠͊̾̿ͪͨ͒ͪ͋ͫͪ̎͊ͣ̾̓̇̍ͮ̈́͞ͅͅ,̧̜͍̘̻͉̳̼̦̟͙̻͖͗̅̈́̾͒ͣ͑͌̐̋ͤͧͬ̀ͭ̄̂̕ͅͅ ̷̴̡̧͈̭͚͈̼͓͕̲̪̙ͨ̄̅ͥ͌̆͂ͬ̇̈̌̕S̡̡̽̿̂͊̅̓҉̼̝̻̦͙u̷͈̻̣̻̤̮̭ͯ̊̆̊ͧͧ͠͞m̲̥͔̮̪̘̼̰͎̬̾̋ͪ̏į̳̲͕̰̦̟̼͍̲ͬͪ̾ͯ̃̋̊̑̎̍̄͊ͣ̇͘͡͡.̷̼̜͉̣͇̳̥͕̄ͤ̂̊̃ͦ͆̍̽̀͋ͨ̐ͦ͜͡”̀̈́͆̄ͮ͌͟͏̼̙̳͎̠̳̜͈̺͈̹͙̬̪̹̝̙͉̥͡

_“We both do!”_

_“̶̸̸̯̦̤͗ͪ̄͋̔͗̈́̿̀͆͑ͧ͋ͨͯͥ̿͘I̵̸̻̭̹̣̩͖͔̦̠͖̻̹̟̔͌͛͛̃̌̐…͍̗̗̦̹̩͎̹̲̈́ͫ̽̍͛͟͟͞͝.͇͉̝͉̦̻̫̙̳̹͓̖̝͋͐̄ͨ̎ͯ̆̽ͯ͢͡l̴̴̴̡̹͚̱͉̗̻̘̬̤͔̝͙͈̹͖͋ͭ̄͑͗ͣ͋̾͂̒͌ͯͭ̅ͅo̜͓̫̘̦͖̬̜̳̣̪̘͍͚͖͍̞̯̱̊̊ͦͮ͛ͪ̏̋̔ͦ̄̉ͩ̈́̉́̿ͭ̕͢͞͡v̨̹̳̫̼̦̹̥̝͈͙ͮ͒̈ͮ̃ͪͪ͗͐̿̍̊ͪ͗̾̌̚ͅę̨̼̥͈̻͔̥͍͔͕̭̰͔͌̔ͬͭ͋ͯ̀̿ͨ̅̄͘ ̽̀͊͛̉̓ͥ͆ͤ͑͌͊͋͆̇̉̚͏̡̛̯͍̥͓͠y̐̇̾̿ͮ̓̄ͯ͑͌ͩ̃̒͋͏͓̖̗͈̲̬̳͕̮̜͈̺̜͔̩͠oͫ̎̌͋ͣͪ͆͏͠͏̡͖͔͙̤̞͚̣͉͙̙̗͙̰̦u̶̴̡̝̞͕͑́̔ͣ͌̀ͧͣ̏̿ͣ̿ͨ͒ͦ͡ ̈̽ͥ̇ͭ̃ͮ̌ͮͨ͋̃ͮ̉ͤͨͣ͐ͬ͞͏̡͉̬͕̲̥̦̙̱t̷̸̡̹͓̫̪̻̜͎̣͍̜̿͗ͬ̈͗ͫ̇̈̽ở̫͚̥̹̪̳̪͈̪͙̟̘̄̾͐̉̅̀̏͂́̒͡o̾ͤ̋̒̈ͩͩͭ̎̐͒ͣ̚͟҉̩̰̺͖͕̩̜̥̥͉̣̥ͅ.̵̜̳̟͍̖͛ͮ͌̿ͨ͒̆̑͠ ͎̞̙͉̝̲̓͑́͛ͪͨ́̎͂͟͜͢͞Į̸̞̮̠͍̏͆ͯ̂̈̐̓͐ͧ͐͆̌͂̂ͮ̌ͅ ̯̰͔͓̳̺̱̮̱̦͒ͧ̈́̾̈̓̓̆̍̍̕͡l̵̲̟̠̰̥̘̟̤͕̺ͮ̂͌o͑͛ͧ̐͐̒ͥ͆͗̿̑̒ͦ͛̾̇̀̚҉̕͟͏̪̰̥̰̲̯̦̱v̷̷̲͓͈̟̹͔̯̋͛ͭͣ͆̾ͮ̐̒͜͠ͅͅe̷̡͑̎̅̿ͣ̔̾̏̅̍̋̀҉̨͙̭̱͈͚ ̵̢̫̼͕̠̞̥̱͎̬̫̟̺̖̲͓̝͖̆͗̃̏͌̍̂̅ͫ̆̐͠ͅy̦̲̗̩̜̝̝̱̳̎̾ͣͣ̾͑͋̌͟͠o̓͑ͭ̏̉ͫͯ̾̀͛͒͗̿͌͘͜͟͜҉̣̞̞̫̩̹͎̥͖ͅu̡̨͈͈͈̜͙̦͈̦̹̖̮̮̞͖̼̍̉̉̈̽̎ͪ̒͗̊̎͗́ͬ̀ͤ͊̑̊͟ͅ ̾́ͥ̎͛̂̍̎ͭͮ̋̽ͧ̽͂̊ͥ͘҉̵̰̰̮̥͎͜t̴́͊ͤ̐̿́̃̍ͦͦ͋̊͏̻̤͓̹̠̜̜̞̰͖͓̥̝̘͉͇̜̬̘ô̩͔̤̼͍͇̤̘̦͎ͣ͂̈́̈ͧͥ͂͐̂̑̂͌͝ͅó̞̩͇̬̗̲̥̲͇̮̠̿̀͗́̓ͨ̓ͧ͂ͩͮ͐͐͗ͬ̑̓͞͠!̡̥͓͕̱̭͍͔̫̲̱̩͍͔̥͕̬̹͖̃̓ͤ͗̓̓́͌ͣͫͨ͌̓ͩͩ͆ͯͫ̋͜͠͞͠ ͔̬̖̫̦͉̟͓̹̰͎̗̌ͮ͌ͯͩ̒̍͐̈́̒ͦ̆̚̕_

_I̷̞̹͈̰̗̣̞̼̖͈̟͇̜̭̯̲̭͈͌͐ͤ͒̆̊̆̇͢͠ believe in you! Do your best!”_

_“That’s the spirit!”_

_“Aw, Kasumi. You’re too sweet.”_

_“I love you two! Ị̴̸̡̥̟̟͕̪͈͕̘͎̊̍̈̃̕͜ ̸̠̬͍̪͖͚͍̎̂̍̈́̈̃̆͆͑͗ͬ̈͌͆̚͘̕͜͞l̛̤̤̫̺̺̥̞͈̤̈ͭ̈ͩͩ̒̎̈̏͡ŏ͎̲̻̙̙͙̫̟̝̖̠͇̖̬̩͈̦̘ͪͦͭͪ̃͋ͣ́͛ͅv̧̡̳̺̖͓̜̗̲͓̹̺̟͓̞͈̭̜͈̜̄͂̄ͩ̂͑ͯ͢͡e͙̜̜̠͎͙̬̞ͦ͊͌̓̊ͮͫͤ̽͌̍̊̐͘ ̢̠̠̺̟̖͔̝͕̺̥̰̭̝̱ͦ̑͊ͭ̓̾̑ͣ͊̽͆̋̋̆͟͡ŷ̡̲̳̤͓̺̼͖̥͉̫͈͕͎͈̙̓̆̎ͧ̉ͭ̃̀̿͗͆͌̄̀ͬ̓͌͒͝ǫ̩̥̥͎͕̫͙̫ͤ̎͐ͥͤͯ̅̍̆̍̃͜͢͞ȕ̴̹̞̬̞̘̥̦̱̫ͬ̉ͨ̅ͩ̈̓͡͠͝ D̵̸̡̩̞̲̣̳̞̠͕̼̐͌ͨ͂̂̌͆̔ͮ̐ͦ̅ͭ͌̄̚͠a̷̴͕͚̦͙̼̞̙̙̯̦͙͔̞̣̓̐͋͗̽ͭͭ͞͝ẉ̨̦̙͇̈͐ͩͯ͐̅̅̈̓̀̊͂̋̀ͩ͗̆̚n̷̢̙͉̤̹̠̠̿ͮ̆̋͑̊ͨͭ̅̑̈ ̴̵̝̲̖̤̦͈ͧ͐̒̂̓ͭ͑ͧ͑̒̆̉͗͒ͨ̔͊̃ͯą̶̦̤̪̩͓̗̱͖̗̹͇̗̦͍̺̯ͦ̓͂̌̐̀ͨ͊͒̀̐ͥ̃ͤ̑̇ͮ͂ͥ͠ñ̴̻̮͇͖̱̥͍̲̰̹͚ͩͨ̂̆̓͌̽ͥͬͤ̃̑̓ͫͤ̚͢d̸͎͓͚̱̩̥̘̙̊͊͂͂̑͑ͪ̎͌͂̿̉̿ ̡̨̈́̋̎̀͡͠҉̫̫̺̼̖̮̭̫̰̳̬̲Ḑ̜͓͕̝̦̒͗ͧ͒̂͂̊̃͊͛̀̏ͤ͞͝ừ̭̮͚̳̰͔͓̰̱̙̻̘̬͚͆̐̐͐ͨ͂͛̾ͬͭ̍̚͜͢͢͡s̠͕̼̖̬̩͓̳̱̖̣̬͚ͣ̒͒͑ͯ̏̊ͨ̄̂͂̔ͮ̕͟ͅk̷̏̊̅̎ͤ̔̊̈́͂͂͑ͤͬͭ̑͛̓̊͏̪̭̫̺͙̟̗̼̹̬̹̯̮̱̱̳̻!̬̖̺̣̪̱̘̯̜͎̮̆̈́ͫ̿̉̔̽̇ͪͫͯ͑̅̀̂̓͗̉͝͡ ̸̘͓̲̻͑ͯͬ̆͛̌̋̈̅̄̾̆̄̽̓̊̚̚D̸̢̻̱͎͍͇̩̩͕͕̪̩̖͉̱̀̓͂͑̚͝ͅǫ̴̨̘̖̗̫͕͈̳̖͙̥͌̿ͮͦ̒̎ͩͤ̊͐̃ͩ̆͂ͮͯͨͧ͠ ̸̠͇̫̫̻̫̯̜̣̝͂̿̎̽̃ͣ̈́̒ͬ̚y̸̧̹̺̺̻̹̗̤̜̖͈̖̗̼̰͙͓̰̙͍ͤ̐ͯ͆͛̉̑̎̿ͣ̄̕͜o̷̅͊ͦ͏̮͖̪̙̦u͙̰̗̟̘͉̩ͨ̍́̔͑̅͂̆͝ͅr̴̵̛̫̙̘̟͓̺͓̳͎̖͚̼̫̞̤̝̱ͤͭ͂ ̴̧̙͍͔̮͉̺̱̺͇͓̪̩͎̲̮͈̣͇ͪͪͦ͊̇͟͝b̧̛͚̜͇͖̯̞̙͓̖̗̞̳̋ͧͩ̉ͧͮ̏͐̿ͨ̇̓̇̂͢͝ͅē̷͉̞̝̟͖̝̳̼̙̤͇ͫ̊̓̍͜s̴͎̙̥̳̮͉̪̱̭̽ͮ̏̋͋̔͒̉̾̈́̂̕͢ţ̧̨̼̱͉̙͓̩̺̝̭̙͍̉ͯͬ̌̈́ͯ͑͞͡ͅ!̜̠͖͇̰̱̙̾ͥ͂̾̈́ͮ͋̌̀̓̈ͦ̈́ͯͯͫ̒̚͠!̴̛͙̘̤̪̠͓̃͊̔͂́͌͞͞_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a huuuuuge fan of this chapter, but it's been staring me in the face for like 2 weeks so just take it.  
> in other news, happy valentines day!
> 
>  
> 
> F̘̼͚̦̠ͭ́ͪ͠r̷̘̲̰̱͖̣ͣͣ͒͊ͧ͑ͯ̍͟o̧̟̖̼͈̭̼̟͒̽ͣ̔̆̚͟͡ͅm͈̰͔̺̺͖̩̹̣̆̄ͮ̍ͪ ̨̧͉͖̹̬̯̞͇̏ͬA̷̵̙̩̮͊̎͂̊͒͛y̲̦̮̎̌̈́̒͑̾̈́̕ͅa̠̞͙͔̭͎͈͚ͭ́͑͌ͬk̑̋ͬ̀ͤ͋́҉̣̮̬̮o̿͐͏̹̤ ͖͙̮͚ͫ̎ͤͨ̀ͯ͌̋a̷̢͈͍͕̫̩̯̦̲͒̑̚ņ̸̦̲̜͑̿̄͆̆͘d̴̦̥͕̮̣̖̩̾̐͢ ͉͇̼̘̫̯̙̽̉ͭͤͬ͆ͧM̶͓̳̜̜͗ͩ̔ͭi̜̗̪͙͔̘̭̘̘͛͜y͈̝̩̥̑u͇̣͊͐͛̕͘̕ ̶̴̸̜̱̿̈́̐̄a̢̪͑̏ͭͧ̒́̑n͎̼͎̹̐ͬ̀ͨ̊͂͡͡ḋ̵̝̰͍̦̰̜̤̙͒ͭ ̰̙̰̙͂̑̚K̵̠̱̔̽̉â͎̪͎̻̬̞̺̽̒ͭ̇ͣ͢s̵̴̢̝͈̼̗͉͖̯͍̹͊ͩͩͨu̘̘̙͕̭ͤ̒ͫ̆̍͌ͨͤ̂ͅm̴̛̪͚͔̗̙̈ͥͫ́͌̇̚i̡̛̜̲̽̀ ̨̠̼̝̟̣̝̝ͧ̔̎̐ͥ͐w̢͓̜͉ͣ̑ͨ́̑į̡̛͓̫̟̫͍̝̃̂̋͒̿ͅť̯̝̬̼̼̣̺̬ͪͪͤ̌ͧ̀͟ͅh̹͙͚͇̻̤̟̰̽ͣ̓̃̒̚͢͠ ̛̙̱͎̝͎͔̩̀̏̀̅͐͛́ͣͅl̂̄̂̉ͦ̚҉̢͇̼͈̣ǭ̯̝͓̘͐̏̀͐̽ͦ͌͠ͅv̡̘̩̽̾̌͒ͦ͋͛ͧę͊̍͗͐̓ͧ͏̣͚͉͍̹̝̹!̷̴̲̼̔͆͢  
>  
> 
> huh. wonder what happened there. oh well. it's probably nothing important.


	6. Do your best! Spirit and love, together as one!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter what, they couldn't run away. Not again.

“Do you want to be a Pretty Cure, Niko?”

Niko looked at Aria, the girl’s expression unreadable in the dark field. Her glasses caught the reflections of the stars, glinting brightly.

“I know I do,” Madison declared to the other side of her. “Have you seen what Star and Aster can do? It’s crazy.”

“Aster threw that last Seikai so high up last week, I thought it was an airplane until it came back down!” Niko grinned.

The three of them laughed at that, if only for the mental image.

“But really, Niko. Do you want to be a Precure?” Aria repeated.

Niko thought about it for a second.

“I mean...I like how they protect people. And they seem so nice, too. But I’m not sure I could do that - the whole fighting thing, I mean. They do it every week! It’s pretty impressive. What about you, Aria?”

“Me? I dunno. It’s kind of scary, isn’t it? Fighting those big monsters they make from people’s...souls, or whatever.” Aria murmured.

Niko nodded.

“Memories, actually. And it's only scary if you don’t have magical-ass powers. Those girls have a bat that can become a _sword._  And like, a wand or something.I don’t think they’re scared of anything,” Madison stated bluntly.

“Guys, if we were Precure, what’d our names even be?” Niko wondered aloud. “They’re both like star-themed, right? So...space themed?”

“Comet. Comet’s an easy one. It’s going with the whole hot-headed but actually chill thing I’ve got going on.” Madison looked almost unnaturally pleased with herself at that assessment.

“Pulsar,” Aria said. Madison and Niko both looked at her in disbelief. “Cure Pulsar.”

“The hell is a pulsar?” Madison asked.

Aria shrugged.

“I dunno.”

Niko put her head in her hands.

“God, we’re stupid,” she groaned.

Madison lightly punched Niko in the arm.

“Says the girl who gets the good grades around here. What about you, dude? What’s your Cure name?”

“It’s not really a specific space thing…” Niko mumbled, fidgeting on the grass.

“Nah man, you can’t get more generic than Comet.” Madison smirked. “What is it?”

“Cure….”

Madison and Aria looked at her expectantly.

“Cure Celestial. I’d be Cure Celestial.”

* * *

 “Aria. Aria, cmon. Open your eyes.”

Madison gripped Aria, shaking her.

“Come on. Come on, Aria. We aren’t dead, so you can’t be dead or anything. Just open your eyes.”

A murmur. That was something. Something.

“Aria.”

A tiny sliver of blue eyes met Madison’s own.

“Madison? Where…”

“Take it easy,” Madison said. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed between the animal-thing appearing and the present.

Speaking of the animal-thing, it was watching them, twitching nervously. It seemed conflicted on helping them, Madison noted.

“Are you...are you okay, ari?” it squeaked.

“Yeah, yeah…” Aria shook her head, holding onto Madison in the orange and blue void of light.

“As okay as I can be in sparkle hell, I guess,” Madison responded, eyes narrow.

“Ah, well, that’s good, ari. I pulled you in really...really suddenly, ari. And two at once is never a really, um, good idea, ari.” The animal smiled weakly, sparkling black eyes wide. “I am Sollari et Al of the Vertex Core, ari. I am a Solar Messenger, and I am to be...to be, ari…”

Madison made a motion for the animal to continue. It looked at her.

“Let me...let me start over, ari. I’m Cure Celestial’s Solar Messenger, ari. I gave her the power to transform and fight the Outer Limits, and, um, I wish to know if you would be willing to do that too.” Another weak smile. Madison didn’t relax her guard, not for a second. The alien girl from two days ago had looked pretty cutesy and harmless as well.

“So, so, so...please, ari.” Sollari took a breath, then opened their eyes, blinding golden light flowing from their eyes and the stripe on their head. Twin balls of light appeared between their small paws, as they began to shape it.

Madison winced at the bright light, but Aria reached out to Sollari. They locked eyes, and Sollari gave Aria the first ball - now disk - of light.

As Sollari presented Madison the second disk, she took it hesitantly.

“It’s a lot to ask, ari. But please, ari...Celestial can’t do this alone, ari. Even if...even if it’s only one of you-!”

“I’ll do it.”

Madison turned her head to see Aria staring at the disk of light as it faded into some sort of makeup compact.

“I’ll become a Pretty Cure.”

Sollari’s eyes softened.

“Thank you, ari. I can’t...I can’t thank you enough, ari.”

Madison grabbed Aria’s wrist.

“Aria, you can’t. I don’t want...I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?!” Aria looked at Madison with determined eyes, and Madison felt the pit of dread in her stomach deepen. “It’s too much like six months ago. We barely know what we’re signing up for!”

“I don’t care.”

Madison gaped at Aria, who was holding the compact to her chest.

“The Pretty Cure need our help, Madison. If we can do anything, I want to try.” She gave Madison a small smile. “Don’t you remember? Eight months ago, when we pretended to be Precure?”

“More like roleplaying,” Madison grumbled. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“We wanted to be heroes, Madison. All three of us. So come on, Cure Comet.” Aria outstretched one hand to Madison, another on the compact.

“Okay,” Madison sighed. “If it’s for everyone...I’ll do it.”

“You are both, um, both very very strong, ari.” The words that escaped Sollari were almost whispers, and Madison felt like she was not meant to hear them.

“So, what do we do?” Madison asked.

“What I gave the t-two of you is a Solar Compact, ari. It’ll work with the stardrops within you, ari. So just open it, and press the buttons from right to left, ari. Actually, um, first just repeat - repeat after me, ari.”

Madison finally investigated the compact. The top was orange, with a star shape on it. Not like any makeup compact she had seen before. She snapped it open, looking at the colored buttons and the clear jewel set in it.

“Okay,” Aria affirmed, her own compact open as well.

“Pretty Cure, ari!”

“Pretty Cure!” Their two voices resounded together. Madison caught her gaze in the mirror, three orange stars in her eyes. An orange star shape drew itself on the mirror.

“Infinity Reflection, ari!”

Madison, on some whim, pressed the buttons in the compact. Blue, red, green.

“Infinity Reflection!”

The star shape blinked three times, and the gem’s white light turned orange.

A bolt of light shot out, encompassing Madison’s body and igniting, leaving an orange dress behind. The fire dissipated into tendrils of orange energy that ran through her hair, lengthening and lightening it. Twin small braids were tied, cascading down her now wavy hair.

Aria appeared to be changing too, the light swirling around her like water. Her shimmering blue dress quickly solidified into a sort of one piece bodysuit, dark blue top and large shorts.

The orange energy closed around Madison’s chest, leaving a dark orange bodice above a cream-colored shirt, the sleeves dangling loosely in the void of magic.

Aria’s eyes were closed as the light shimmered around her. She waved her compact slightly, and shimmering blue designs appeared on her outfit, a spectrum of different shades and patterns.

Madison landed on nothing, holding her arms to either side of her as an orange skirt emerged from nothing but orange light, white tulle following it. She spun, pausing slightly as yellow tights covered her legs, then yellow gloves appearing upon her hands.

Aria clicked her heels together, blue boots covering her feet. She then stuck her arms out as blue magic covered them, long dark blue gloves appearing as the magic peeled away.

Madison broke out into a run, as a one-two step covered her feet in orange boots. She jumped, holding the compact in her hand as the light washed over her, giving her twin star-shaped earrings. She closed her eyes, knowing that something was happening despite her inability to see the change.

Aria pushed her glasses up as her hair floated up gently, lengthening only a little bit. A blue streak curled its way down her face.

As Madison landed, still on no apparent solid ground, she bobbed her head from left to right, twin gold wing clips attaching where the small braids in her hair had formed.

Aria was opening her eyes slowly, the irises now piercingly blue.

Madison snapped, a spark of fire appearing on her fingertip. With another spin, a trail of fire was now suspended in midair. Madison pressed the compact to her chest, the fire now enclosing her.

The compact seemed to be absorbed into her chest, leaving the star shape behind. The fire expanded into a pillar, encompassing her for a second before leaving, Madison now with an orange cape that separated into two distinct ribbon-like tendrils.

Aria pushed her compact into her chest in much the same way, tendrils of blue swirling from it and materializing a dark grey cloak that covered much of her body.

Madison winked as her mouth began to move mostly on its own.

“A great spirit that lights up the stars!” She snapped once again, waving around the small fire before blowing it out. “Cure Comet!”

Aria landed on nothing as well, holding her hands to her chest.

“Rippling love radiating across the stars!” She spread her arms out, as if giving someone an embrace. “Cure Pulsar!”

The light slowly faded away from around them, leaving the two of them looking at a very confused and angry Nebulous, who Madison had long forgotten was there.

“With a heart of passion-” Madison started.

“And the strength of love-” Aria continued. Madison reached out for her hand, feeling much more at ease when Aria took it.

“We will be your opponents for the day!”

Nebulous looked at them pointedly.

“Two at once. Fantastic,” she said with a scowl.

Madison - no, she was Cure Comet now - simply looked at Nebulous, not moving.

“Whatever,” Nebulous sighed. “Least it might actually be a goddamn challenge.”

She rushed Comet, fist drawn back. Comet threw her arms up in a semblance of blocking, but it didn’t do much against the sheer power that Nebulous had.

She stumbled backwards from the blow, knocked off balance easily.

“Ari-” Wait, no. “Pulsar!” Comet yelled, catching her friend’s gaze.

“Right!” Pulsar called back, throwing her hand out, swirling magic gathering around it.

Sollari clambered up Pulsar’s arm, perching on her shoulder. Pulsar nodded at whatever they said.

“Pretty Cure!” The call drew Nebulous’ attention, giving Comet a window to grab and hold her tight. Pulsar’s look softened slightly, but at Comet’s nod she hardened once more.

“Inverted Implosion!” Pulsar posed, a striking beam of light coming from a finger gun she had made.

Nebulous struggled, cursing under her breath, and finally pushed Comet off of her. Comet jumped backwards as Pulsar’s attack barreled towards Nebulous.

The beam hit Nebulous squarely in her chest, and expanded into an explosion of blue light, Comet bracing herself to not be blown away. Comet could hear Nebulous’ scream from within the epicenter.

The smoke and light disappeared, leaving a Nebulous with fire in her eyes.

“So this is how we’re gonna play it,” she basically snarled, red eyes narrowed to slits. Nebulous cupped her compact in both hands, the heart glowing softly with violet light. She mumbled something under her breath.

Violet light shimmered around her fingertips, forming into a rapier-like sword.

Comet’s eyes widened. Nebulous’ weapon looked just like the old Cure Star’s Moonlight Sword!

“Recognize it?” Nebulous said mockingly. “Personally, I think the purple adds some flair.” She sent a smug look at Comet. “Amazing what you can get from fucking up a messenger.”

Yeah, Comet was understanding nothing.

Despite that, Nebulous had drawn her sword as Pulsar tried to punch her in the back, spinning around and striking her across the face with it. A deep red cut trailed behind the point on Pulsar’s cheek.

“Pulsar!” Comet yelled in response. God, this wasn’t going well.

As Pulsar fell to the pavement, Comet ran towards Nebulous, with no real plan except to punch. She landed about two hits on Nebulous’ chest before the girl simply sighed and drew back her sword.

Comet, with all the energy she could muster, then uppercutted Nebulous in the gut.

Shockingly, that seemed to actually do something. Nebulous’ breath cut out suddenly, leaving her gasping for air for a second. And a second was all that it took for Sollari to reach Comet.

“Comet, ari!” She turned to look at Sollari, whose black eyes were serious and hard. “Use your attack, ari! Call out Pretty Cure, then go from there, ari!”

Comet only nodded. It’d probably go on autopilot like when she transformed, she reasoned.

“Pretty Cure!” she called, Nebulous glaring at her hard enough to kill. Orange energy began to cloak her fist, creating a mold of her fist that began to enlarge.

“Shooting Star-!” It wasn’t exactly autopilot, but Comet’s words came out in a freeflow, not thinking about a thing except punching. “SMASH!”

Her fist connected with Nebulous’ locket, with a somehow sickening _crack_ ringing out around the courtyard. Nebulous was thrown back, landing harshly against a wall.

Sollari seemed to have left in the chaos of Comet’s attack. Pulsar pushed herself up, fixing her glasses and getting back into a fighting pose.

“The promise of meaning in the stars!” A new voice called out loud, unnatural in the now too-quiet courtyard.

A girl walked between Comet and Pulsar, pushing her long silver-white hair behind her. Golden eyes twinkled as she smiled.

“Cure Celestial!”

Oh. So that was Cure Celestial.

Nebulous’ eyes looked between Comet, Pulsar, and the new arrival. Comet couldn’t tell if she was imagining it, but it seemed like her eyes went back to Comet, lingering if only for a second.

“So that makes four,” she mumbled.

And, to Comet’s unease, she _grinned_.

“Good.”

Nebulous stood up tall, eyes once again on Comet. She clicked her locket open.

“Ritzu? We have more.”

And with that, she vanished, not a trace left behind.

* * *

**Mercury.**

A fist connected with a mirror, breaking it.

Luckily, this was not one of the mirrors that connected the Trinity’s dimension to the Outer Limits base. Unluckily, it meant Mercury would have to pick the shards out of his prosthetic again.

**Nebulous has returned with information.**

Mercury scoffed, his pale red ponytail swaying.

“And, I take it, not with Cure Star or the messenger.”

**Not important. What is important, is if you are ready for your so-called plan.**

“Don’t get snarky with me, Ritzu,” Mercury called out, his fins ruffling. “I’m not Nebulous.”

**Is your arm ready, or do I need to go out there myself?**

“Please, Riri.”

**Don’t call me that.**

Dark eyes narrowed into slits as Mercury smirked.

“It’s ready. I’m not just wasting my time, you know.” _Like some kurilines,_ he thought, looking at Rune “training” with her staffs in the corner. She was actually just hitting a punching bag until it ripped, but same difference.

**Oh, and I think you’ll be happy to know something.**

A fold of skin cocked upwards in interest.

**One of the new Pretty Cures has white hair.**

Mercury’s fist clenched, the mirror shards within piercing his metallic fingers. He took a deep inhale.

“Thanks, Ritzu.”

**Good luck.**

Mercury exhaled all at once.

“Like I need luck,” he hissed.

It wouldn’t be the same, not truly. But yet...

“Now I can make him  _pay_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOO OOOO O OO OOOOOOOOOO  
> I'M BACK MATES
> 
> shoutout to neb for finally getting some good action on. and by good i mean shitty this fight was not easy to write nor is it good
> 
> this chapter feels short. is it short. google docs tells me this is 2500 or so words but i swear this is too short
> 
> anyway, mercury. i love this asshole and never got to write him the first time around. let's do this nonsense.  
> SEIKAI FUFILL THE DESTINY OF THIS WORL- oh wait that. that didn't happen yet
> 
> ANYWAY ENJOY YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK DUDE WE OUT THERE....


	7. Three shining lights! Don't fall to the darkness!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Messages from beyond the stars had never helped anyone.

Nebulous had vanished.

Cure Comet and Cure Pulsar stood, breathing heavily. Nothing they had done had fazed her, despite the physical damage that seemed to be occuring. 

“We’re alive.”

The orange light left Comet in an instant, leaving a very tired Madison collapsing to the ground. Aria quickly followed.

“Cure Celestial, ari!”

Sollari scampered past the two tired girls to the newcomer with white hair, who picked up the Messenger and let them nuzzle against her.

“I shouldn’t have left you, ari! But these girls, they were so worried, and I heard them, ari-”

“I’m not mad, Sollari. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

The voice sounded familiar.

Aria looked up to Celestial, who’s gaze was only on Sollari along with a gentle smile.

“To be real, I don’t know if I scared her off or anything. I’m just glad I didn’t have to fight Nebulous alone.”

“Yeah, it’s all great. ‘Cept we were the ones getting beat up,” Madison snarked. 

“It wasn’t that bad, Madison,” Aria protested. Probably wasn’t a good idea to get angry at a much more experienced Pretty Cure. “The only real damage she did was slicing my cheek like that.”

The slash had healed quickly with the power of the stars, but there was now a pale scar where the sword had struck her. And, maybe Aria was imagining it, but it seemed a bit...purple.

“Well, I’m glad you two are okay!” Celestial said, cuddling Sollari and smiling.

“So, are you gonna leave, or….?” Madison sounded frustrated, but Aria could understand. It felt kind of vulnerable to have Celestial see them as civilians now, even if they had de-transformed unwittingly.

Celestial looked confused.

“Why would I do that?” Madison’s eyes narrowed.

“Because we don’t know who the hell you are and would rather have a slight amount of privacy? Goddamn.”

“Oh!” Celestial’s eyes widened. “Right, right, you don’t know!”

Cure Celestial detransformed in a flash of white light, leaving behind a shorter smiling girl with black hair.

Wait a second.

Madison’s mouth was slightly agape as she scrambled for an accusation.

However, Aria got there first.

“NIKO?!”

* * *

 

“You know, I don’t think we can count that as a victory, ari.”

“Sollari, we survived against the girl who took down the Starlight Duo. It’s less of a ‘we won’ party and more of a ‘holy shit, we’re alive’ party.”

Niko, Madison, and Aria were sprawled out on Madison’s bed, overly sugary milkshakes and assorted pastries piled on the desk.

“Geez, Niko. Can’t believe you didn’t tell us.”

Niko gave a sheepish smile, or her best imitation of one with a mouth stuffed full of croissant.

“Mmsh mmll-” she swallowed hard, coughing a little. Madison rolled her eyes, but with a smile on her face.

“Well, I mean, it was kinda sudden, you know? One day, I’m late for school and meet an alien bunny, then I fight a birdman, then the school gets attacked - a few days later I was still just picking up the pieces, my dude.” Niko took another too-big bite of croissant, following it up with a elongated gulp of milkshake.

“I get it, I get it. It’s just surprising that we’d all become Precure, so long after we wanted to.” Madison smiled, but the thought did kind of worry her. Was it really just a coincidence, that the three of them in particular would become Precure?

“Like fate,” Aria mused, as if she could hear Madison’s thoughts. “Like we’re all connected to this Precure thing. With Chikara…” 

The mood dropped with that one name. Madison’s milkshake suddenly didn’t seem so appetizing.

Thankfully, the door opened. Sollari stiffened in an instant, becoming like a stuffed animal.

“Jesus, you girls are gonna eat all my food at this point,” mumbled Madison’s older brother.

“Jonah, what the hell did I say about knocking? We were having a moment here!” Madison yelled. Just because she was grateful about the intrusion didn’t mean she would admit it. “And what do you mean, food? We’ve had like, ten pastries, tops. You bought us the goddamn milkshakes and everything!”

Jonah shook his head, sighing.

“You guys are gonna die from like, diabetes.”

“Says the man who once ate an entire chocolate rabbit in half an hour.”

“I told you to never speak of that.”

Jonah groaned as Niko laughed, Madison giving her brother a smug look.

“The school called, anyway. They say that since it was only one classroom damaged, and the guy was caught, they’re gonna be open tomorrow.”

It was Madison’s turn to groan at that.

“Ugh, really? They couldn’t even give us the week?”

“Wait.” Aria looked at Jonah, eyes skeptical. “What do you mean, they caught the guy?”

“It’s all over the news, dude. Some guy turned himself into the police, and he matched up with all the witness reports and everything.” Jonah shrugged. “Kinda weird if you ask me, but hey, it’s pretty good.”

“Witness...reports?” There couldn’t be any witness reports. Everyone had been frozen. Anyone who hadn’t been would have seen the alien.

“Yeah, well, I dunno about all this crime stuff. I’ve watched like, four episodes of CSI. Sorry.” Jonah was taking it all fine, though with a pinch of salt. That’s because he hadn’t been  _ there _ . He hadn’t seen Cure Star crash through the window and fight an alien who had frozen the entire classroom and attempted to kill Madison and Aria.

Madison had. Madison had come inches away from death, seconds away from never seeing him again.

And everyone had just forgotten? Forgotten almost being frozen to death? Forgotten Cure Star showing up and saving them?

Forgotten it all?

Whatever. It wasn’t something Madison needed to fix.

“Well, shout if you need anything. Anything that isn’t more sugar, anyway. Don’t want to have dead bodies to clean up,” Jonah joked. Madison winced.

The door closed. 

“Everyone forgot,” Niko said, bluntly. It was the first she’d spoken since Jonah had mentioned the school.

Madison nodded. 

“Just like before.” 

“You guys keep mentioning that, ari.” Sollari perked up, shaking the stiffness from their body. “But I-I don’t really understand, ari. What exactly happened in this world after the reap of stardrops, ari?”

Madison sighed.

“It’s uh, complicated-”

“If you didn’t have a relationship with the people that were taken, you wouldn’t remember them,” Aria cut off. “It wasn’t like they never existed - they were in pictures and the like. You just wouldn’t...notice. That’s why it never got national attention. People just didn’t care.”

“B-but how, ari? That’s not any power of the Outer Limits I know of, ari!” Sollari seemed very distressed by this revelation, tail twitching.

“Well, you didn’t know about the original Cure Star or Cure Aster. Maybe you forgot, too,” Niko suggested.

Sollari’s eyes widened.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Madison said. 

Aria nodded.

“We all got used to it, Sollari. It’s okay. If you needed to remember, you wouldn’t have forgotten in the first place.”

“HOW CAN YOU ALL BE SO COMPLACENT, ARI?”

Niko looked up to a wide-eyed and shivering Sollari.

“Y-y-you know what happened, ari! You haven’t f-forgotten, ari! How can you just let people forget it all, ari?!”

“Because it’s better,” Madison snapped back. “The Seikai attacks - even before the last one - hurt people, Sollari.  _ Killed  _ people, Sollari. Jonah lost one of his closest friends during that attack. He wouldn’t come out of the house for weeks. I had to take care of  _ myself _ , Sollari. So yeah, I’m glad he forgot about it.” 

Sollari drew back. They seemed to steel themself, then spoke.

“Do you think I care about one person, ari?” Their eyes were cold.

Madison felt rage bubble up in her.    
“You - you  _ made  _ me become Pretty Cure. I fought that girl - the one who killed everyone, mind you - because of  _ you _ , rabbit. And then you look me in the eyes and say that you don’t give a shit about the one person I want to protect the most?”

Sollari’s steel broke as quickly as it had come up.

“I, um, didn’t quite say that, ari-”

“No, you did. You may not care about one person, but I sure do.”

“Listen, Madison-” Aria pleaded.

“NO! I won’t just stand here and listen to that thing insult my brother to my face, just to try to make me do something that isn’t even possible!”

Sollari shakily stood up on two legs, narrowing their eyes.

Madison met their gaze.

They took a breath.

“Memories beget love, ari. Love begets courage, and passion, and empathy, ari. Those emotions nurture your very soul, Madison Forrester, ari. Without them, without those memories - without the knowledge of their love, apathy grows in its place, ari.” They were shaking, but stood their ground. “Forgive me, ari, if I do not care about the sorrow of one human, ari. Even sadness, anger - they are strong emotions nonetheless, ari. They are the antithesis of despair and apathy, ari. And that energy, that power, that hope that life will become better - that is what gives your stardrops the energy to persist, ari. Without that, ari?”

Sollari scoffed, a noise that sounded absolutely  _ wrong _ coming out of the messenger. The petite body and wide eyes did not suit the anger inside of them.

“Then you are just sitting, waiting for the Outer Limits to devour you, ari. What good are your lives then, if not for the universe, ari?”

Madison had an answer.

“Get out.”

Niko grabbed Sollari, pulling them to her chest. Madison narrowed her eyes. What the hell did she need that thing for? They could be Precure - Madison could be Precure without it!

“Get out. I don’t want you here.”

“Madison, please. Sollari doesn’t-” Niko attempted to say something, but stopped at the icy glare Madison sent her.

“You’ve known this thing how long? Four days?” Niko didn’t respond. “Face it, Niko. You don’t know this thing. It isn’t from our world. Why should I trust it?”

This time, it was Aria who spoke up.

“Because they made us Pretty Cure. If we could believe in the Starlight Duo, then we can believe in Sollari,” she said softly.

Madison almost laughed.

“Oh really? Didn’t that last one try to make Nebulous or whatever a Precure? Yeah, I’m real glad everyone trusted that decision.”

A  _ smack _ rang out across the room.

Madison placed a hand up to her cheek in shock. 

Sollari had jumped up and hit her across the face with their tail. They bristled, much like a cat.

“Don’t you  _ ever _ insult Lune again, ari,” they hissed.

“I thought I told you to leave,” she retorted.

Niko scooped up Sollari, slowly turning to walk away.

“You don’t have to go with it, Niko,” Madison called.

Niko turned back to look at Madison.

“I trust Sollari,” she said. “They saved me by turning me into a Pretty Cure. Even if they don’t understand what happened here, I believe they can help us. And that we can help them.”

Madison glared, with more anger than she personally wanted at the moment.

“And, Madison?” Niko gave a weak smile. “I hope you’ll believe in them soon.”

And with that, they left.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” hissed Madison. She turned to Aria. “You understand, right?”

Aria just looked at Madison, wide eyes shocked.

“Aria, that thing doesn’t care about us. It wants to make things normal. Doesn’t it understand that  _ this _ is normal now? I don’t want anyone...I don’t want anything to change again!”

Aria didn’t answer.

“All we know, it could just be leading us to our deaths like the other one lead the Starlight Duo!”

Nothing.

“Don’t you get it?!” Madison cried.

Aria stood up, and opened Madison’s door.

“No,” she said flatly. “I don’t.”

With the gentle closing of a door, Madison was left alone.

* * *

Oh, now  _ that _ was interesting.

The orange girl from earlier - Cure Comet, was it? - was alone, according to the locket. Alone, and angry, but not dismayed enough to reveal her stardrops. Bit of a shame, but still an opportunity.

The girl’s attack had  _ hurt _ . It had actually shocked Nebulous out of her pattern - she had had to take the fight a bit more seriously after that. Of course, it was almost predictably easy. Even with the Celestial girl, she could have finished them off with the sword alone.

But the Everlasting had been clear. The more Precure, the more chances they had to gain a spark. As much as Ritzu wanted the Trinity to just extract one, no matter the consequences, Nebulous wasn’t about to go against the Everlasting.

This wasn’t a race, and Ritzu should know it. They were the predator here, weren’t they?

This was a game of attrition.

And it was time to start.

 

“Cure Comet, was it?” The voice came from the girl’s compact, causing her to open it.

The girl stared into the mirror, meeting Nebulous’ gaze, eyes narrowed and dark.

“You,” she growled. “You’re the one that got me into this mess.”

Nebulous smiled. 

“What if I could get you out?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. i didn't think i would actually end up using this plot thread after i rewrote this. but here i am, and here we are. great because i love this plot thread
> 
> for clarification neb is talking to comet here. the cures can talk to each other through the mirrors in their compacts. though, the heart compact has a bit of a mind of it's own...
> 
> cut out the explanation with sollari and stardrops and everything because the girls probably just went "yep. same old shit". plus we had enough exposition in this chapter.
> 
> uhhhhh next time. back to school! in which girls meet new friends, new enemies? and new plot probably.
> 
> anyway hope yall liked this chapter! leave comments or madison will end up fighting you instead. which would probably end badly for everyone. god when will i stop making this fic depressing.


	8. Who is the real enemy? A transfer student and a secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't how anyone was expecting this to go.

> You: hey, chika   
> You: hope you’re doing alright   
> You: i got some new stories to tell   
> Error 404. This Number Could Not Be Reached At This Time.  
  
> You: i told you about all the pretty cure stuff, right?   
> You: cause it’s been getting pretty mental   
> You: madison hasn’t talked to me for the last three days   
> You: i wonder if I should apologize   
> You: you think it was my fault?  
> Error 404. This Number Could Not Be Reached At This Time.  
  
> You: i mean, i just don’t know  
> You: her and sollari were really going at it   
> You: i think you’d like sollari   
> Error 404. This Number Could Not Be Reached At This Time.  
  
> You: they’re very nice, but they don’t take shit   
> You: like you but nicer   
> You: hahaha   
> You: nah man i love you anyway   
> Error 404. This Number Could Not Be Reached At This Time.

> You: i should probably go   
> You: i think something’s happening in homeroom for once   
> You: later man   
> Error 404. This Number Could Not Be Reached At This Time.

> You: i just...wish i could tell you this in person   
> You: ugh that sounds dumb   
> You: i guess i just   
> You: miss you  
  
Niko looked at her phone. There was no way to phrase it without it sounding sad and kind of desperate, but it was true. She missed Chikara. She missed laughing with them and talking with them and...everything about them, really.  
  
It was stupid. It was stupid,  _ she _ was stupid, but whatever.

“Miss, could you please introduce yourself?”

Huh. A transfer student? At this point in the year? 

Weird. Kinda like an anime, Niko thought. If this kid had an unnatural hair color she was gonna lose her mind.

“I’m Lyra. Lyra Kiriki. I’m fourteen years old. I like guitar. My favourite subject is math. Nice to meet you.”

> Text message from Madison: woah tone down the enthusiasm there champ

Niko bit back a laugh as the message popped up on her laptop. Hey, that meant Madison had talked to her. That was worth something!  
  
> Text message from Aria: Cmon Madison, don’t be rude!  
  
Oh. It was the group chat. Well, there went that.

“Anything else, Lyra?”

“No. I’ve said all I need to.”

> Text message from Aria: Oh boy I think she’s gonna sit next to me

“There’s an empty seat next to Aria - the redheaded girl waving to you. You can sit there.”

> You: aria’s officially become part of an anime. roll the op mates  
> Text message from Madison: i mean we’re already magical girls i think the op has been rolled  
  
Progress. Kind of. It was about Precure again, but progress was progress.

“Okay. Will we be moving seats?”

Niko pulled up the group text.

> You: roasted  
> Text message from Aria: Shhhhhh

“Yes. Is there a problem with sitting next to Aria, Lyra?”

“No. I was just curious. Thank you.”

Lyra sat down with a perfectly monotone voice and a blank look. 

> You: beep boop i am human   
> Text message from Aria: fnjkdfhjkdhg   
> Text message from Aria: Oh boy she’s looking this way!   
> Text message from Aria: Be right back guys!   
> Text message from Madison: please just use brb like a normal human person

Well, at least Madison was texting them. That probably meant something. 

Right?

> You: i’m gonna chuck myself into a trash can if this doesn’t fix itself soon, chika   
> Error 404: This Number Could Not Be Reached At This Time.

* * *

 

“So, uh, I guess I’m your guide to this school?”

Lyra looked at Aria with skeptical eyes. It was probably the most emotion she had shown the entire time she had been here.

Aria flinched.

“I mean, I don’t have to be if you don’t want?” she hastily tried to amend. “Anyone specific you have in mind?”

Lyra took a breath.

“No, I don’t. But I don’t think having a ‘guide’ is required. Is it?”

“Ah, well…” Aria trailed off. This girl was not giving her much to work with. “I guess not.”

“Okay,” Lyra said, beginning to walk away.

“Wait!” A hand grabbed Lyra’s wrist, causing her to turn and narrow her eyes. 

“What is it? I thought we were done here.”

“It’s just that, uh, um…” Aria was feeling a bit like Sollari at the moment. Where had all this anxiety come from? “Just that…”

“Hmph.” Lyra yanked her arm out of Aria’s grasp, looking decidedly unimpressed.

“You’re new to town, right?!”

Aria blurted it out, her face going red. What a stupid question to ask, really.

“I mean, I guess. Why?” Lyra raised an eyebrow.

“Just be careful, okay? There’s been a lot of shit happening lately. A lot like there was, six months ago. I just don’t want you getting hurt,” Aria confessed. Yeah, the girl was a bit cold and strange, but if she really was new...then she had no idea what she had just walked into.

“I think I know.” Lyra waved a hand, turning and walking away.

She really didn’t, though. And there was no real way to explain it.

Aria felt like she had just sent someone to be executed, and she couldn’t explain that, either.

**Cure Pulsar!**

Aria let out a noise not unlike a small puppy’s.

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, but Madison won’t talk to me! I got the info from Niko, but I need you to know, too!**

“What is it?” she mumbled under her breath.

**Another one, Aria! Another one of the Trinity!**

“What?” Aria attempted to shake the surreal feeling of telepathy enough to focus.

**Madison says she knows who he’s after. I don’t really know enough about humans...is she famous or something?**

“Sollari, you have to explain. I really don’t know what you’re saying.” Didn’t know alot about humans was a slight understatement, but that wasn’t an argument to be had right now.

**It’s a girl at your school? Madison said she just came back after being gone for a while.**

Lyra?

Oh god. That explained the pit she felt in her stomach.

“Got it, Sollari. Tell Niko I’m on it. I can stay with her.”

**Okay!**

As her head cleared, Aria took a deep breath. 

Time to find an excuse to stalk Lyra.

Wait. That sounded better in her head.

* * *

 

“She’s really on it?” Madison asked.

“Yeah. Sollari tried to contact you, but you weren’t responding.”

“I don’t want them in my head. Tell them that for me.”

Niko seemed super happy that Madison was talking to her, which she didn’t get.

It wasn’t that she was mad at her. She was mad at Sollari. Sometimes it was just hard to make a distinction between the two of them.

“Who is this girl, anyway?” Niko asked.

“Some junior called Hailey Comden. She was caught in an attack a few months back, with the Starlight Duo. But I was watching the old footage, and it wasn’t a Seikai. It was someone else. Not someone I recognize, either.”

“Oh. So he’s holding some sort of grudge?”

“As far as I can tell,” Madison admitted. She didn’t know a lot from the news footage and her source. But hey, a name was a name.

“Alright. I’m sure Aria can handle it, no matter who it is! She was so strong in that fight. I mean, you both were! Sollari says…” and that’s where Madison began to tune Niko out. Every sentence was Sollari, Sollari, Sollari. When would she realize that the thing didn’t care about her like a friend would? She was a means to an end for that creature.

“Right, Madison?” Madison blinked.

“Huh? Yeah, I guess.”

“Great! Sollari was so sure you were mad at them, and they really wanted to apologize for anything like that, but they swear that…” God, she didn’t care what that thing had to say for itself.

“Hey Niko, I gotta go. Jonah’s home.” It was a straight up lie, but Madison didn’t really care at the moment.

“Oh, already? Okay, man! See you!”

Madison flopped down on her bed as Niko hung up. She should probably tell her that they could just contact each other through the compacts.

But that was something else to explain. Plus, she could interrupt her and her...contact.

Speak of the devil, the compact sprung open of its own accord, the telltale sign of contact being made between the two of them.

“What do you want, Nebulous?”

The girl in question huffed at Madison’s cold tone.

“I told you to call me Kasumi like this. This isn’t professional.”

“Not happening.” Madison liked to keep track of this shit. No first names. “You call me Comet, and I call you Nebulous. I don’t want you thinking that we’re friends.”

“Sure, sure, firefly.”

“And what have I told you about that? I’m Comet, not firefly.”

“Ugh, you’re so boring.” Nebulous rolled her eyes. “Anyway, are you guys on it or not? Mercury’s pissed - I don’t know what motivation Ritzu gave him this time, but you might need some backup.” 

The girl looked different than how Madison had last seen her. The unsettling smirk was gone from her face, replaced with a seemingly permanent scowl. Her long purple hair was dark enough that it could easily be mistaken for black, and her red eyes were dark and dull as well. The teal and red hoodie was back, however, and the golden ribbon on her head never seemed to leave her person.

“Aria will be fine,” Madison said. “She’s capable.”

“I sure hope so. Mercury’s a dick. And if we’re gonna pull this off, you don’t want him near you.”

“You say pull this off, but you still haven’t told me enough.” Madison crossed her arms. 

“Listen. All you need to know is that I’m on your side as long as you’re on mine,” Nebulous said.

“And you can really do it?”

Nebulous nodded.

“As long as you give me Cure Star, I can do  _ anything _ . It’s just about getting you there.”

Madison took a breath.

“Right. Let’s do it.”

Nebulous grinned.

“Hey, maybe I might even make an appearance. For show, of course. It’d be a great distraction.”

“Oh please. Don’t think you could distract from a literal fish man.”

“C’mon. Have you seen me? I’ll just buy another coffee and dump it on my head or something. All eyes on me, baby.”

“That’s a waste of perfectly good coffee.”

“I could just absorb it through my skin or shit.”

“You can do that?”

“Pfft, no.”

Madison laughed. Maybe she really wasn’t so bad. Her intentions seemed good.

Maybe…

* * *

 

_ “Why should I help you, anyway?” _

_ “You get back your life, and I get back m̛̳͖͉̮̘̼͓͍̽̔̍̅͂͒̈̊͢i͙̻̳̊̓̑̅͝n̨̝̘̪͍̪̺̫ͪ̀ͫ̽͋̅̌ͩ͢ͅe̙̼̣͍͋̌ͯ̓͞ͅͅ.” _

* * *

 

Hailey Comden had been out of school for two months, twenty-five days, six hours, and fifty-four minutes.

But who was counting, really?

The girl in question sipped a hot chocolate at the Flowerlight coffee cart, looking at Luros Prepatory’s outline on the horizon.

Sure, school had long past ended for the day. The sun was dipping below the horizon, bathing the area in orange light.

But that didn’t stop her heart from beginning its telltale pound. The pound that told her, more fiercely than any truancy officer, that she’d have to go back at some point.

It wasn’t that this was her first absence. God, it wasn’t. It had been another two months when she had first dropped out, and a single month when the attacks ended. Officially, she would have to repeat this year.

She wouldn’t, like half of the class. She would simply move onto senior year, and all the transcripts for the junior class would have a so-called glitch.

Hailey just knew these things. She knew it the same way that she knew that if she asked anyone about Angela Weiss and Mei Huang and Sarah Johnson that they would simply not understand the words coming out of her mouth.

Ah, and there was the burning sensation at the back of her throat. Hailey hadn’t missed it, but at the names, it had come back. Same as always, she supposed.

The pink-haired girl working at the coffee stall yelped. Her blue-haired friend dropped a cup, and it shattered.

Hailey didn’t pay attention to that.

She paid attention to how their stardrops’ glow dimmed.

“Interesting,” she said, placing her hot chocolate down. “And how’d you manage that?”

The person who had done such a thing was to the back of her. She knew that. And his stardrops….and his stardrops….

He didn’t have any.

Hailey whipped her head around, and her eyes widened in genuine shock for the first time in months.

Grey, sleek skin. A red “ponytail” made of more fin than hair. One side of a torso sporting long, black fronds. A light blue gossamer robe, fastened with dark purple. Dark black lines under wide, full, bronze sclera without a pupil or iris to be seen.

But that wasn’t what shocked her.

It was the metallic, brass arm that had been affixed to the frond-less side of the figure. A bright purple heart had been emblazoned on the side. It glowed menacingly.

“You fixed it,” she said. The words were heavy on her tongue.

“No thanks to you,” Mercury of the Outer Limits said. “I take it you still have the compact.”

“You never told anyone, did you?” Hailey asked. “They never came after me, you know. You shouldn’t have been so stubborn.”

“I call it a personal thing,” he said, running his brass fingers through his ponytail. “A grudge, so to speak.”

“So you waited? All this time? Six months?”

“How better to pay back the girl who single-handedly embarrassed me and  _ refused _ to ever show her face again?” he asked, voice surprisingly genuine. “You deserve a fair fight.”

“Wow. I should be honored,” she said, pouring malice into the words. “But shouldn’t you wait for something like this? I feel like it’s a finale or something, and this has all barely started.”

Mercury laughed.

“Please. I came here to tell you that tragically, you’ve dropped on my list of priorities.” Hailey narrowed her eyes. “There’s someone more important than you, now.” 

“Great. So, you’re here to kill me?”

“Did you expect anything different? I’m going to get payback. You shattered my arm, and so I shatter your body and pry the last Cure Compact out of your cold, dead fingers.”

“Edgy.”

“Thanks.”

He ran at her.

Hailey pulled out the small, silver compact from the moon-emblazoned pouch it had created the first time she had ever used it.

“Pretty Cure! Infinity Reflection!”

Purple light burst outwards, a pillar of crackling light streaking upwards.

In a second, it dissipated, leaving behind a girl with long, purple hair that flowed in a ponytail that defied weight and mass.

Her purple bodice and large, lilac and white hoop-like skirt shimmered as tiny arcs of electricity connected between them.

The miniature pink star under her right eye glowed.

And she sidestepped Mercury’s rage-filled punch with her eyes still closed.

“No introduction?” he snarled. “No fancy name? I’m disappointed, Pretty Cure.”

She opened her eyes, strikingly pink and filled with determination.

“Don’t be,” she said.

She turned to face Mercury.

“I need no introduction. I am Cure Nova, and the only one I have faced, and ever will face, will be you, Mercury of the Outer Limits.”

She extended an arm, which began to crackle with the amount of white-hot electricity that was gathering in the palm of her outstretched hand.

“Now…”

Cure Nova narrowed her eyes.

“You will pay for murdering my friends, monster.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLANS?  
> WHO NEEDS THEM
> 
> NONE OF THIS WAS PLANNED, STRUCTURED, OR MEANT IN ANYWAY, BUT DAMN IF IT ISN'T A HELL OF A LOT BETTER THAN HOW I WANTED TO INTRODUCE NOVA
> 
> alright so some of this was planned. not a lot, but some.  
> anyway i should probably write some action.
> 
> fun fact: this chapter was supposed to be Bonding with Lyra. instead we had this shit, so you know  
> next time: uhhhhhhhhhhh nova


	9. All at once, gone? The shadow of the new moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, in every way, everything fell apart.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two, three, four, five-

Metal fingers punctured skin. Scarlet ribbons ran down her forearm, dying her pure white glove dark and ugly.

“Where is that rage, Cure Nova?”

No, no. If she listened to him, he would win.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

A step and a ball-change as if she was still doing ballet with her friends. A grand jete - the jump too high, too fast, but the form was perfect.

Her feet touched the ground gently, a far cry from the painful slam that would have happened back in class.

Mei would be the one to show her the proper form, and Sarah would cry out that it was her turn now, and jump without a thought for what Mei had just shown her-

When the cold metal fingers closed around her throat, she knew she had spent too long reminiscing.

Black spots rippled across her vision, but it was fine. She was fine.

She

was

**lost**

 

**still**

 

**so**

**lost**

 

 **L** yra stared at the keyboard through the window of the music store. It really was a nice keyboard, blue casing with multicolored lights within, and Aria could only suppose the multitude of features it came with.

She could also only suppose the price tag, but hey. She didn’t play it anymore anyway.

When Lyra pushed open the door to the music store, Aria stayed outside. Her head was pounding, anyway. She didn’t need any more sound.

It had been an hour and a half since she had tracked down Lyra. The sun was dipping below the horizon - it was just another short winter day. Nothing suspicious at all.

Except for Aria, that was. Just a girl sneaking around, stalking another high-schooler.

She really had to stop using that word. It was making her feel sick - which probably didn’t help with her headache.

Inside, Lyra picked up a red guitar, then a black one, inspecting each carefully. She plucked a single string on the black one, and made a face.

“Excuse me, sir?” she said to the man at the counter. Aria moved quickly to the other window, doing her best to stay out of sight. She rested her head against the cool glass. “Could I practice in the studio for a second?”

“Sure, kid. But not for long, it’s booked in fifteen. You want the guitar you checked in or the one you’re holding there?”

The voice was muffled through the window, but Aria flinched regardless. She knew this music store, after all. What were the odds that the person staffing it was one she knew?

Lyra looked back at the black guitar like she had forgotten it existed.

“Mine, please,” she said, a hint of disgust in her voice.

Picking up the brown case and walking through the door to what Aria could only assume to be the studio, Lyra turned back.

Aria couldn’t meet her eyes, and she didn’t want to - but it did seem as if she was staring at her. Her heart began to pound in a steady beat, creating a painful melody with the back of her head.

Lyra took a deep breath.

“I don’t know what you want, but please stop following me,” she said. Aria’s heart caught in her throat. “I’m busy.”

The man looked skeptical, but shrugged it off as Lyra closed the door.

“Well, that was a failure,” Aria muttered. She clenched her eyes shut and attempted to focus.

 _Sollari_? she thought. No response.

Maybe they were busy. Well, it wouldn’t have went well with her headache anyway.

Aria opened the door to the music store gently, the bell chiming.

“Hamasaki?” the man said. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Haha, yeah,” Aria laughed nervously. “Haven’t played in a while, Mr. Ito.”

“Do you need anything?”

Aria thought of Lyra. She thought of Sollari’s message. She thought of her heart jumping at Lyra, and her slight disgust at herself at stalking the girl.

She thought of the blue keyboard in the window.

“Does that girl come here often?” she asked instead.

Ito thought for a second.

“She’s come here the last few days to practice. Brings her own guitar ‘nd all. But can’t say I’ve seen her before then.”

Aria slumped.

“Ah,” she said. “That makes sense.”

“You two friends or something?”

“Kind of,” Aria said, her tongue already twisting itself into lies. She wanted to disappear on the spot.

“Mm,” Ito grunted. “Well, all the songs I’ve seen her play need a keyboardist to be complete. Ever think about picking it back up?”

Aria stared at her feet. She felt sicker than she should have.

“It’s been a long time,” she said.

“It hasn’t even been a year,” Ito retorted. “And you were very good at it, Hamasaki.”

“Anyone could be, with practice.”

“But you practiced so hard, everyday. Then you just...never came back.”

“The lessons ended and everything.”

“I stopped doing them cause people stopped coming.”

“Please, just stop trying,” Aria said. The expression on Ito’s face made her feel even worse. “I appreciate your concern, but please. Just...stop trying.”

Ito said nothing.

Aria quickly left, her duties with Lyra all but forgotten. The orange light of the sunset blinded her, too bright with her pounding head.

She needed to sit down.

She needed

to

**do**

**something**

 

A fairy screamed in the darkness and soundless abyss of thought.

 

**please**

**she’s alone**

**do**

**something**

 

**anything**

  


**i still**

 

**believe**

 

**in**

 

**you**

 

“What did **you** do?!”

Mercury raised a single fold of skin.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!”

Nova’s head was pounding, so she punched in the rhythm of the waves of sharp pain.

 _Keep yourself detached,_ her head said.

But honestly, her head and her heart were separate right now. And her heart was saying to make the bastard pay for everything.

“Y’know, for once, I actually have no idea what you’re on about,” Mercury said flippantly. “I know, I know, I’m supposed to know everything - and I do, thank you very much - but I’m as lost as you here.”

_Keep. Yourself. Detached-_

“Don’t play dumb with me, you fucking parasite,” she snarled.

And there went that plan.

Mercury’s eyes went dark.

“I’m not the parasite here,” he hissed. “Please. Filthy little Pretty Cure, climbing over a planet that does not belong to you.”

A metal fist slammed against Nova’s bracing arms. She cried out as the arm groaned and expelled steam, the metal heating up against her skin.

Mercury laughed harshly.  
“Aw, is that all it takes to make a legendary warrior cry?” He smiled, all sharp teeth and malice. “What a disappointment.”

Nova linked her arms around the brass claw, pulling it close to her chest. With a harsh scream, electricity crackled through it and down Mercury’s circuits.

“You little insect-!” Mercury ripped his hand out of Nova’s grip, leaving deep red scratches that tattered Nova’s gloves even more.

A knee cloaked in violet, sparkling light found its way into Mercury’s stomach, cutting him off and leaving him gasping for breath.

Nova stepped back, breathing heavily herself.

One, two, three.

Mercury hissed as he composed himself. His robotic arm twitched, apparently readjusting itself. The violet heart on it pulsed.

One, two, three.

“Would you look at that?” he said with a cheerful lilt. Violet tendrils knit together his wounds, the blue liquid dripping out coagulating quicker than it should have with a violet glow.

One, two-

“You just happen to still be worthless, Cure Nova.”

With one word, Nova’s preservation instincts failed her.

_insects parasites filthy sad creature ugly monster of a human-_

_“And yet with all that anger, you’re still worthless.”_

_worthlessworthlessWORTHLESS_

 

 **don’t,** said her lone ounce of sense.

And yet, she did it anyway.

* * *

**N O V A**

 

 **N** iko looked up from homework, Sollari squeaking and falling horribly silent. The voice. She had heard that voice before, hadn’t she?

Following a voice again. It was everything Niko didn’t want.

But the compact was in her hand, and it was time to get far too deep into everything she wanted to avoid.

Sollari’s eyes suddenly lost their shine.

 

 **O** ver the rambling chatter of Nebulous’ stories of the Outer Limits, Madison heard a voice cut as if it was a knife. Nebulous continued on, talking about some Ayako and some Miyu that Madison had never heard of.

“Didn’t you hear that?” she asked incredulously. “Didn’t you feel that?!”

Nebulous blinked.

“What do you mean?”

Maybe she had just imagined it.

But for some reason, that thought made her feel sick.

Madison snapped the compact shut, despite Nebulous’ now muffled protests.

She should check on Aria.

 

 **V** aguely, Aria knew she had to run.

It was just an instinct. A gut feeling.

Like the feeling that told her that she shouldn’t pass out on a park bench. The one she was currently ignoring.

But she was here to keep an eye on Lyra, right?

Wasn’t she?

...what was she doing?

Maybe she had to go somewhere. Right now.

Lyra tore out of the building, guitar gone and chest heaving as she ran.

Aria had to follow. It wasn’t a task anymore, she just knew it. She felt it.

Right now.

 

 **A** ll at once, Cure Star wanted to scream and cry.

It was _them_. Their voice. How it had carried so far, across the boundaries of reality itself, Star didn’t know.

But it was them. Lune.

And they were hurting.

She stood up from her makeshift shelter on the top of a skyscraper that she had called home for the past six months.

Lune. Lune. _Lune._

Star had to go, right now.

* * *

Building, to building, to building. Celestial ran across rooftops and ledges and balconies, not caring who saw her as dusk began to fade into night.

Sollari was cradled in her arms as she ran, their eyes solid black. The white spots usually sparkling within had faded at the mysterious voice, and Sollari hadn’t spoken since.

Despite her common sense telling her to get help for Sollari, something within her screamed, pleaded, begged to follow that voice, to **help her**.

Celestial probably should have worried about who it was.

And yet, she didn’t.

“Cure Celestial. Why are you here?”

In the blink of an eye, running alongside her, Cure Star was there.

Her black cloak was shed, the bright pinks and blues and yellows of disaster proudly displayed on her dress. The mask was kept, but her lilac eyes were piercing enough that it wasn’t needed.

“I heard a voice,” Celestial answered. “I want to help.”

Star narrowed her eyes,

“You couldn’t have. You shouldn’t have that sort of connection.” Star shook her head. “And if they broadcast it loud enough for everyone to hear, then that…no. It would just be impossible.”

“I don’t really know what you mean,” Celestial admitted. “I’m going to help someone, and then help my friend. That’s what I want to do.”

Star looked at Sollari carefully. Then, without a word, she sped up and jumped to the next roof.

“Wait, Cure Star-!” Celestial attempted to speed up, but Star was always one step ahead of her. “You’re too fast!”

“The messenger is fine,” Star called back. It was practically lost in the wind, but somehow Celestial heard it loud and clear. She almost stopped dead.

Star stopped as well, turning back slightly.

“The messenger is fine,” she repeated. “Their eyes go like that when they experience...darkness. Overwhelming negative emotions.” Star’s eyes softened, if only for a moment. “Now, are you ready?”

“Ready...for what?”

Star’s eyes seemed to look right through Celestial.

“For your first real battle.”

* * *

 “AAAAAAAA _AAAA_ ** _AAAAAAH!_ ** _”_

The roar Nova let out seemed to shake the park that she stood in, the earth and wind seeming to tremble.

Mercury looked shocked, but quickly regained his grin.

“Aw, did I hit a nerve?” he mocked.

Nova’s eyes flashed. Electricity crackled all around her, reverberating through her wounds and her bones, the dull sound pounding through her skull.

Storm clouds swirled overhead, a dark, unnatural, almost violet color.

“You will soon learn, Mercury,” she snarled, “That I am anything but worthless.”

“And there it is,” Mercury said, smugness written all over his face. “There’s that rage I wanted. What a tragedy it took so long. All those wasted stardrops…”

“MY FRIENDS AREN’T JUST YOUR TOOLS!”

Nova rushed him, one arm outstretched.

In an instant, a bolt of lightning connected the air and ground.

It just happened to do so as it severed Mercury’s black fronds.

He let out a scream as the black fronds fluttered to the ground like cut hair, his metal arm holding the split stump of his other side. The violet light cauterized it instantly, but he screeched regardless.

“You bitch,” he hissed. “You beast. You fucking cockroach.”

Nova raised her other arm, the threat unspoken yet obviously there.

“I won’t miss again,” she warned.

“You won’t have the chance,” he replied. “I’ve lost interest, cockroach.”

He was quick.

He shouldn’t have been that quick.

She had practically severed his weird fish arm, how was he so quick-

Metal claws fastened themselves around the star-shaped emblem that denoted the compact.

**i’m**

**sorry**

**i couldn’t**

**do**

**enough**

 

All pretenses of a plan were abandoned as the word _sorry_ passed through their minds.

Cure Star froze, trembling. It was the most scared Celestial - maybe anyone - had ever seen her.

The telltale violet light was just below them. One jump, and they would be there.

“Lune,” mumbled Sollari. Celestial gently placed them on the ground as they stirred.

“Now?” Celestial asked. Star took a shaky breath.

“Yes,” she said, voice cold. “Now.”

Star leapt off the balcony they were perched on, propelling herself towards the ground. Yellow light began to gather around her left arm.

Celestial followed suit, silver sparkles swirling in her palms.

“LET GO OF...her…”

Star’s voice failed along with her strength.

She collapsed to the ground two feet in front of the Outer Limits mercenary, Celestial touching down far past her.

Celestial turned to call out. Her strength felt sapped as well, as if getting closer to the center of everything was weakening her.

And then she saw her.

Purple, and pink, and white. Long, ethereal hair waving in a vortex that should not exist, lightning flashing in her eyes and thunder in her voice. The energy coming off her made Celestial want to run, to hide, to cry.

It felt like Cure Star, six months ago.

The Outer Limits agent smirked, a strange, brass claw closing around the purple Cure’s compact star. He pulled it out, leaving the Cure gasping as if she had been punched.

Yet, the glow around her was still strong. The rage itself that flowed around her seemed to keep her transformed.

“Celestial!”

“Niko!”

Streaks of orange and blue ran down to Celestial and Star.

“What the hell’s going on?” Comet asked. “I thought nothing was happening with the Outer Limits?”

“I think I was wrong,” Pulsar said, breathless. “They wanted to awaken another Cure, not kill them.”

Star shook her head at both answers.

“No,” she said, quietly. “This...this is a grudge."

The four Cures stood there, energy weak and unable to permeate the translucent pillar that now surrounded the purple Cure and the Outer Limits agent. It was as if they were doomed to be spectators, yelling at the screen yet affecting nothing.

“Thanks for coming, everyone,” the Outer Limits agent crowed. “And thank you most of all, Cure Nova.”

**i**

He crushed the silver compact in his metal hand.

**cant**

Purple light flooded out, as the now decidedly human Cure Nova collapsed to the ground.

**save**

Energy flooding back, Star rushed the agent, tears glistening in her eyes.

**anyone**

“Inverted Implosion!”

“Shooting Star Smash!”

“Silver Vortex!”

**can i?**

“SPARKLING IMPACT!”

And yet it seemed to mean nothing.

Striking violet tendrils snaked from the agent’s metal arm, fixing his wounds as if they were nothing. He held the shattered compact proudly, a sharp-toothed grin on his face.

“Finally,” he said.

“A happy ending.”

Celestial looked to the human girl collapsed on the ground.

She looked to Star, shaking and crying.

She looked to Pulsar, guilt heavy in her eyes.

She looked to Comet, hot, shaky breaths wracking her.

She looked to the agent.

“Where’s Lune?” Celestial asked, voice blunt. One step, two steps, three steps, and she grabbed the wound that looked the least healed - a cauterized stump with a few weak, black fronds sprouting from it.

The agent hissed, eyes losing their smug glint.

“I’ll ask you one more time,” she said. “Where’s Lune?”

“Why the hell would I tell you?” he replied. “You can’t hurt me.”

“There’s four of us here,” Celestial said, gesturing to the Cures around her. “We’ll find a way.”

 

_Clap._

_Clap, clap, clap._

_Clap clap clap clap clap_.

The sounds of a single person applauding loosened Celestial’s grip. The agent stepped back, looking up.

“Took your sweet time!” he yelled.

“Sorry,” said a familiar voice. “I was just enjoying the show.”

Pulsar tightened her grip on Comet. Comet herself looked almost lost.

Star looked up, tears replaced by absolute rage.

“You,” she said. Celestial had never heard so much malice in a single word.

“Me,” Nebulous replied. “Now, everyone…”

 

“Let’s get the real party started, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOOOOO BOY WE'RE GETTING INTO THE JUICE!! THE MEAT
> 
> there's so much i want to say about this chapter but all of it's spoilers so i'll just shut my piehole and watch  
> some of this was planned! some of it not. here's a hint: nova getting her compact smashed? planned. nebulous being the worst? planned. aria playing some sick tunes? not planned
> 
> anyway here's an FAQ  
> will nova be back? probably  
> will star have a good day for once? probably not  
> will celestial ever chill? nope  
> will we get some lune action? Y E S !!!!!  
> will neb dump coffee on her head? no shut up ryan and mono  
> do i love you all? yes <3  
> will i stop hurting my children? fuck no 
> 
> also nebulous is a bitch bye


	10. It can't be! A heart-pounding meteor shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In, out. In, out. In, out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright minor violence warning for this one - it's not graphic but it has a minor flashback to named character death. also someone has a panic attack but it's very apparent so you can skip it if you need. love yall

Celestial looked up, any words that had been on her tongue drying up and withering away.

“Mercury, the compact?” Nebulous called, a hand extended out.

The fish-like man looked almost sheepish, as if he hadn’t just ripped the powers of a Pretty Cure out of Cure Nova.

“About that,” he started. “It didn’t have to be whole, right?”

Nebulous blinked incredulously.

Then she began to laugh, dark and sardonic.

“Mercury, you don’t understand how lucky you are that we only need one of them. God,” she sneered, violet light humming in her palm, “I want to kill you so much right now.”

“SHE CUT OFF MY FUCKING FRONDS!”

“Didn’t you do that yourself?” came a high pitched, cracking voice.

The air shifted and glimmered, and a lone, pale blue, bug-like creature formed. The one Sollari had called Rune.

“No, Rune. The other fronds.” Mercury muttered. “Jackass.”

“All three of you assholes, huh?” Comet called.

Nebulous looked down at her. She looked more...pitying than angry, now.

Celestial couldn’t understand why.

“Yep!” Rune chittered. “Don’t get too excited. There’s more to come.”

“Everyone!” Nebulous said, flourishing her arms out. “Welcome to the show.”

“Hey, hey, I wanted to do it-!”

“Shut up, and let’s do it.”

A heart made out of two small, blue hands. A heart made out of human-like hands, scarred and calloused. Half a heart made by a metal hand. Each filled with violet light, creating a perfect heart.

“Crystal • Absolution!” The light split into two halves as Rune clapped, ice spreading quickly across the ground.

“Misty • Absolution!” Leaving the heart in the air, Mercury reared back and punched the heart, creating a beam that crashed against a wall. The beam’s impact spewed choking, thick, red mist that swirled around the Cures.

“Ashen • Absolution!” Nebulous’ locket glowed as she broke the heart in two, small fragments floating around her. With a snap, they wilted and crashed to the grown, corruption spreading across the park.

“Shit,” swore Cure Star. “We have to go, now!”  
  
“Why?” Celestial asked. “We’ve broken out of this before.”

“No, no, you don’t get it. All three of them - we won’t have the energy to do anything!”  
  
Star jumped up, landing on a high branch of a pine tree.

“If you have any self-preservation left you’ll follow me!” She yelled.

Pulsar looked back at Cure Nova - well, the civilian form of her, now - where the crystal was beginning to encase her.

“What about Nova?”  
  
“We’ll come back for her!” Star shouted. “We can’t win this! Not with all three of them!”

She turned back, mumbling something to herself. Celestial strained to hear it.

“Lune, I don’t want to do this again. Forgive me.”

**star**

Cure Star’s eyes widened. She faltered, the branch bouncing under her weight.

Nebulous smiled.

“Aw, do you really want to go?” she crowed. “Without seeing your dear friend?”

The branch cracked.

Star fell.

She landed perfectly, but her eyes were wide and lifeless.

Nebulous opened her locket.

And the wide, solid black eyes of a messenger greeted Celestial.

Sollari’s desperate squeaks grew in pitch. They burst from the brush where Celestial had left them, leaping into her arms.

“Why don’t you say hello, Messenger?”

A click of a button, and a purple bat burst free from the locket, but made no attempt to fly.

A purple, glowing heart was attached to their forehead. Large, shimmering, violet cuffs wrapped around their wings, weighing them down.

Their eyes had no shine - the white spots that were synonymous with the word “messenger” nowhere to be seen.

_Overwhelming negative emotions. A Messenger overtaken by darkness._

**i’m so sorry,** Lune said.

* * *

 “Lune.” Star walked forward, stumbling, hot tears burning against her cheeks. “Lune.”

Words faded, the cries of Celestial, Comet, Pulsar all fading away. Nothing was more important than Lune, right now, in this moment. They were _here_.

She reached out pitifully, pathetically, but Nebulous yanked them away with a simple sidestep.

“They hurt you,” she said. Of course they had, but to see it? It felt...it felt…

She didn’t even have the energy to yell. To cry. To do anything.

The rage from before faltered in the face of her failures. Her failure with Lune. Her failure with Nebulous. The failure of being here, right now.

She just felt...numb.

This was _her_ fault.

 **it’s okay,** Lune said, with a sad, weak, smile. They flinched at their own muscles’ movement, and that made Star want to scream.

 **i'm so sorry,** they said.  **they wanted you all here. together. you especially. and i just...wanted to save someone...**

Star shushed them. It wasn't their fault.

God, they were right here. Right in front of her. Everything felt wrong and right at the same time.

"Aw. So sad,” Nebulous mocked.

Star looked up at Nebulous. The lump in her throat wouldn’t go away.

“Kasumi,” she said. “Lune was your fairy, too. How could you…?”

Nebulous’ eyes narrowed. Her eyes went deep, horrifyingly red. Her mouth clenched into a scowl, and the compact around her neck seemed to glow.

“Return,” she muttered. Lune, in an instant, disappeared from her hand, their face back in Nebulous’ compact.

“You were Kasumi Mitasha, once. So please…!” Star pleaded.

“Don’t call me that,” Nebulous said. “DON’T CALL ME THAT!”  
  
For a second, Star swore she heard Comet say something.

“DON’T YOU DARE!” Nebulous roared.

A flash, and an ornate violet rapier materialized in Nebulous’ hand. Star’s own rapier. That Nebulous had tortured out of Lune, no doubt.

She kept the rage down.

“Lune, me, Aster...we trusted you.” Star looked at Nebulous’ wild, wide eyes. “Don’t you realize that? We trusted you. We cared about you.”

Nebulous’ breathing became ragged. Lune cried out quietly as her grip tightened even more.

“What the hell drove you to this, Kasumi? You seemed so happy!” Star placed her hands on Nebulous’ shoulders.

“Kasumi, we…”

“What, did you love me?”

The voice was bitter and dark, words said as if they were dirt.

“Of course not,” Kasumi Mitasha spit out. “Only two people ever did. And guess what? They’re dead. Because of people like you.”

“Neb, this isn’t the plan, just-”

“Shut it, Rune!” Nebulous snapped. She turned back to Star, stepping forward and forcing her back.

“They’re never coming back. I watched the two of them die before me, Cure Star. If they hadn’t been...if they hadn’t been…!” She wiped her eyes with a dirty, calloused fist. She looked more emotional than Star had ever seen her, even when pretending to be human. “It doesn’t fucking matter. They’re dead. The Pretty Cure of Love are dead.”

_“And I, as the Pretty Cure of Love, won’t let you-!”_

_A fist, through her stomach._

_It wasn’t hyperbole. It was a fist that impaled Chikara Oshiro, glowing with violet light._

_Nebulous locked eyes with Cure Aster._

_“You will never be a Pretty Cure of Love.”_

“All of them.”

Star’s legs gave out from under her.

“And did she deserve it?!” she cried, tears flowing, repressed memories and feelings of the past six months finally flowing free. “Did Chikara deserve it? For simply sharing their name?”

She could hear the cries and gasps from the three Cures behind her. They hadn’t known.

God, they hadn’t known.

Another one of her failures, Star assumed.

Nebulous didn’t answer. She snapped her fingers.

“Merc,” she said, voice cold and monotone.

A cold, metal hand closed around Star’s neck.

She didn’t really care about the pain, even as the rusty fingers scraped her neck, leaving blood running down her costume. She didn’t really care about much.

She couldn’t detransform, she knew that. That was priority number one.

Priority number two was never leaving Lune again.

Huh. Star guessed she was actually making progress on that one.

* * *

 Chikara Oshiro.

Kasumi Mitasha.

Cure Star.

Cure Aster.

Nebulous.

The list of people who had lied to Comet so far. Some of those names were for the same people, even.

Mercury held a barely struggling Cure Star with one arm, hissing as she hit his wounds. Star was stronger than that, Comet knew. Sure, the Absolution fields had sapped her strength, but she was the strongest of them all.

The Messenger...Nebulous…

What the hell had really happened, six months ago?

Well, to know that, she was going to have to get Cure Star back.

“Celestial! Pulsar! We can’t just stand around!” she yelled. “Go!”  
  
Pulsar jumped up, but Celestial stood still, looking at the ground. She cradled Sollari in her arms.

“Celestial!” Nothing. “ _NIKO!_ ”

Celestial started, but only looked at Comet with wide, tearful eyes. Sollari squeaked something incoherent.

Both of them were useless. Comet swore under her breath.

“Pulsar!” Comet called as she ran towards Nebulous. “Distract them!”

“Right! Pretty Cure Inverted Implosion!”

The dirt exploded in front of Comet. She punched her way through the rocks with ease, sparks and trails of light following behind her.

“Get back here!” Comet tore her way towards Nebulous. “Pretty Cure! Shooting Star Smash!”

Nebulous drew her rapier as Comet punched, fire and energy fueling her rage.

The two forces connected, a wave shifting the very air around them and blowing back everyone not in the immediate area. Mercury struggled to keep control of Star, Rune hissed and dropped down to all fours - well, sixes, Comet assumed - and Pulsar scrambled for something to hold on to.

“Give her back!” Comet yelled. She twisted, attempting to roundhouse kick Nebulous in the head. Nebulous parried with her rapier, but evidently strained to keep Comet from breaking through.

Nebulous managed to push Comet off, leaving her stumbling. She rushed towards her, Comet flinching against all her better judgement.

But to her surprise, Nebulous didn’t stab her.

The flat of her blade was pressed against Comet’s stomach, Nebulous’ face inches from her own. She didn’t look at Comet, even as the blade disappeared.

“Don’t ruin this for us,” Nebulous hissed.

“Ruin what?” Comet retorted, as quietly as she could with the anger bubbling inside of her. “The messenger...Star…!”

“Cure Star ruined your life, firefly. Her and Aster. I’m trying to save you.”

“Why do I doubt that?” Comet asked, voice heavy with sarcasm.

“I’m not saying you should trust me,” Nebulous admitted. “I’m saying that I’m the only one who can help. So don’t try and stop me.”

“Don’t hurt them. Pulsar, Celestial...any of them.”

Nebulous almost seemed to smile.

“You remind me of someone, firefly.”

A hand against Comet’s chest glowed with purple light, and Comet was blasted backwards, skidding across the grass.

She sat up, scrapes and bruises dotting her skin.

“Comet!” Pulsar yelled. “Come on, we can still make it!”  
  
Comet put a hand up.

“No,” Comet said. “We can’t.”

Star screamed, at long last, snapped out of her stupor. She struggled, and writhed, and screamed as red ran down her face and her neck and her arms.

The cold finally caught up with Comet. The cold, and the mist, and the ash…

So this is what losing feels like, she realized.

* * *

Breathe. In, out.

In, out.

In, out.

In, out. In out. In out. In out.

In out in out in out in out in out

Inoutinoutinoutinoutinoutinoutinoutinoutinoutinout

 _“Get back here!”_  
  
“The parasite’s escaping!”

**_Just go! Just go, Star! Please!_ **

INOUTINOUTINOUTINOUTINOUTINOUT

 _“CHIKARA!”  
_ _  
_ **_No. Please, no._ **

_“Kill her if you want. I don’t care.”_

_“Just get the spark.”_

She couldn’t go back.

She can’t. She can’t. She can’t.

Please, no.

**Please, no.**

**PLEASE**

Even as she screamed, the raw noise ripping itself out of her throat, the iron grip that may as well been a noose tightened around her.

She was going to die here.

Die.

_Chikara was_

Juli was

Dead.

WHY WERE THEY JUST LOOKING AT HER! FIGHT, PRECURE, PLEASE

there was nothing to be done

 

In, out. In, out.

* * *

 “Cure Nova? Cure Nova, please, are you awake?”

Hailey opened her eyes to see meteors, streaking through the sky.

They were beautiful. Streaks of white and blue lights, showering the park in light as if they were fireworks.

Just like they had done six months back.

Hailey sat up, wincing at the numbness of her limbs.

“What the hell…?” she mumbled.

Blinking a few times, she noticed the three concerned faces looking at her.

“Who are you?”

A girl with dark eyes and a black ponytail smiled.

“I’m Niko Andros,” she said. “Also known as Cure Celestial.”

Next was a girl with brown skin and hair, who looked considerably more wary.

“Madison Forrester, Cure Comet.”

And last was a redheaded girl with piercing blue eyes, who fixed her glasses before introducing herself.

“My name’s Aria Hamasaki. I’m Cure Pulsar.”

There was a fourth face. Rodent-like, with wide black eyes with small, shimmering lights in them.

“S-Sollari et Al of the Vertex Core, ari. I’m...the one who grants the Precure power, ari.”

Niko grabbed Hailey’s hands.

“You were incredible back there.”

Back there.

 _And in a single movement, he crushed her compact_.

“I guess you can take over now,” she sighed. “Not like I was making the most of it anyway.”

Niko blinked.

“But-!”

“I only wanted that power to avenge my friends. I failed. There’s nothing I can do. Besides...it was a miracle I could transform in the first place.”

The fairy - Sollari, was it? - curled up against her stomach, batting on it with tiny paws.

“I know, ari. I, I know, ari. Your stardrops...ari,” they squeaked. “But please, ari. Please, please, please, ari..!”

Aria looked at her feet. Madison punched the ground.

Niko’s grip tightened on her wrists.

“What happened?” Hailey asked.

“They have her,” Niko said, voice blunt. “Cure Star.”

The meteor shower played on behind them, an omen of darkness in Keres’ mind.

“Well, what would you have me do?” Hailey said, standing up. “The messenger knows something’s wrong with me. That fish bitch half drained me months ago.”

“It’s true, ari...your stardrops are faded. But, but, they can still-!”

“No, they can’t. I won’t be any help at all,” Hailey stated. “That’s it. I lost.”

The sound of clinking metal made her look back.

Aria opened her hands. Pieces of Hailey’s compact were spread across her palms, digging into her skin.

"We can try," she said.

“I don’t think you get it,” Hailey insisted. “I can’t. I just…!”

“You remember Lune, ari.”

God, did she. The small bat that had saved her, all those months ago. She had prayed, pleaded to protect someone, and a miracle had happened.  
  
“They have them, ari.”

She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t.

That’s what she meant to say.

That’s what she should have said.

“How do we save them?” Hailey said instead.

Maybe she couldn't win as a Pretty Cure. But god, would she try. 

* * *

“Not so smug now, are you?” Mercury taunted.

Ritzu motioned for him to shut up with a wave of their wing.

“We’re not killing her,” Ritzu said. “We have to wait for the others. They’ll be coming.”

“God, really?” Nebulous snarked. “I wanted some peace with my good _friend_ here.”

“We do need...something from her, though,” Ritzu admitted.

Cure Star didn’t look up. She had curled into a ball in the containment field, and hadn’t moved.

“Booooooooooring~” Rune yawned. She knocked on the containment field with a small arm. “Wake up already!”

“You three should go,” Ritzu decided. “This could take a while.”

“No thanks,” Nebulous said.

“That was an order.”

One by one, the Trinity begrudgingly left Ritzu’s pocket dimension.

Nebulous stayed the longest, spending most of her time simply looking at Cure Star .

“Don’t worry,” she hissed towards the girl. “You’ll be with Aster soon.”

Star didn’t move.

As Nebulous left, Ritzu leaned against the containment field.

“I can hear you, you know,” they said.

 **You think I didn’t know that?** Lune said.

“You’re never going to escape from here again, Cure Star. Messenger. Perhaps you should make peace with that instead of falsely reassuring yourselves.”

“No,” croaked Cure Star. “They’ll come.”

“Like who? Cure Aster?”

 **Cure Aster had more strength in one finger than you have ever had in your entire body,** Lune shot back.

“Her spark says otherwise.”

 **You didn’t successfully get one,** Lune said. **With how she was killed, it’s impossible. You’re bluffing, and poorly at that.**

“Please, stop,” Star protested.

**You have her stardrops and nothing else. Aster is dead. Gone. So shut your dirty fucking mouth and don’t talk about her.**

Ritzu looked at Star’s tearful eyes.

“You’re not the one giving the orders here, Messenger.”

**I’m not a traitor, either.**

Ritzu didn’t respond.

 **Yeah, I know about you** , Lune hissed. **I’ve always known.**

“You’re lying.”

**Do you want to take that chance?**

 

 **_You’re dead,_ ** Ritzu sent back.

Lune laughed, dark and bitter, in their head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. fuck
> 
> YOU WANT BAT YOU GOT BAT. YOU WANT NEB YOU GET NEB  
> I'M OPRAH UP IN THIS BITCH
> 
> god i wrote this in two days because i was just so excited. may is the month of holy fuck
> 
> wild ride is 2/3 parts done. let's do this shit


	11. To save Cure Star! Let's fly~!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They didn't regret it. They didn't regret this.

“Shut up. SHUT UP!”

**Why? This is the most I’ve talked in months. Thought you would appreciate it, Ri-**

“ _Don’t_ ,” Ritzu snarled. “You don’t have the right to say that name.”

**You don’t even know if I know it, do you? You’re just so paranoid and insecure that you snap at every little thing that hints at what you really are.**

Ritzu stared at Cure Star intently. The girl had not moved, still curled up, hands holding her knees to her chest.

It was boring. Boring. Boring.

**Hope, you’re pathetic.**

“I prefer when you do what you’re told,” Ritzu decided, markedly not looking at the messenger.

Lune laughed.

**And I prefer when you don’t put on that FUCKING MACHINE THAT FORCES ME TO THINK ONLY WHAT YOU WANT ME TO THINK but we can’t all get what we want, can we Ri?**

“I have half a mind to get the inhibitor right now, Messenger.”

 **But you won’t, for the same reason that you took it off the moment you brought Star in. You want me to talk.** More laughter, bitter enough that Ritzu almost felt sick. **You’re desperate, aren’t you? Because you aren’t the one in control.**

Ritzu tapped the heart on their chest, picking it up and bringing it to their face. Annoyingly enough, Rune’s face answered the call.

“What do you want?” she snapped. “I’m busy.”

“Get the inhibitor,” they ordered. Rune blinked all four eyes.

“For the messenger? Why? Thought you wanted it free for this.”

“Changed my mind,” they spat out. Lune’s mental torrent was an obvious attempt to shake them, and Ritzu would not admit it.

“Fine, fine. But I’m not taking it back if you change your mind again! It’s heaaaavy!” With that, Rune blinked off the heart, leaving only Ritzu staring at Cure Star once more.

**I wonder how much longer they’ll humour your “orders”.**

“I am the Trinity’s superior,” Ritzu affirmed. “I am the closest to the Everlasting. I am-”

**You are nothing, compared to Kasumi Mitasha.**

Ritzu flinched.

The laughter continued, pouding in Ritzu’s skull. With a shadowy hand, they scratched below the mask they wore - a nervous tick that they had long thought gone.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

 "So. What now?”  
  
The morning after everything, the four girls were sitting around a cafe table, picking at a surprisingly large breakfast.

Hailey had insisted on paying for it, saying with a stoic face that it was the least she could do. Niko’s growling stomach hadn’t objected to the idea.

But for some reason, the pancakes and fruit they had ordered was just...not as appetizing as she wanted it to be.

Niko hadn’t slept well the night before. Everytime she closed her eyes, there was Star, screaming until she couldn’t breathe, metal fingers squeezing her neck enough that it bled. Everytime she tried to distract herself, Lune was there, dark eyes and pulsing purple heart machine atop their head.

When she had finally fallen asleep, it hadn’t been much better.

Niko didn’t want to dwell on it.

Sollari had still seemed sick with worry and negativity, and so Niko had let them stay home.

She guessed Sollari didn’t want to think about the night before either.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “We have to save Star, no matter what. We owe it to her.”

“But can we even do that? _Should_ we even do that?”

Madison was significantly more into the food than Niko was, immediately taking another bite after asking her question. She swallowed, taking a moment.

“The Starlight Duo lost. Maybe it was just supposed to be like this.” Madison didn’t look too happy at what she was saying, but it didn’t stop her. She took a long drink of her orange juice. “And hell, we don’t know what we’re doing. Why we’re fighting. Aside from Lune and Star, what do the Outer Limits even want?”

“They’re killing people,” Hailey stated. “They tried to kill me, months ago. Got my friends - I was halfway gone before Lune saved me. And even then, they were too late for anyone else.”

Madison withered under Hailey’s pointed glare, and went back to her food.

“I get what you’re saying, Madison, but we have to do something. If it wasn’t for Cure Star and Cure Aster, then we probably wouldn’t be here,” Aria piped up.

Cure Aster.

Niko dropped her fork, the silverware clattering on the plate of food.

She had forgotten all about it, hadn’t she?

_“And did she deserve it? Did Chikara deserve it? For simply sharing their name?!”_

The Pretty Cure of love, of trust, of bonds, Cure Aster, was Chikara Oshiro. And she had died.

Part of the power that fueled Cure Star was Cure Aster’s. Niko had seen it, back in the videos. Star had taken the compact, holding Aster’s body to her chest, and had _changed_.

“I know why we have to do it,” Niko said.

Madison looked at her. Her eyes were hard.

Aria stared at her plate. She already knew.

“We have to do it for Chikara. For Cure Aster. We can’t let her death be for nothing, can we?”

Madison laughed hollowly.

“That’s a dick move, pulling Chikara out like that,” she said, her eyes softening. “But I guess it worked.”

“Yeah,” Aria added. “If nothing else...Star knew her, too. I want to know more - about Aster, I mean. I want to keep her alive in some way.”

“I feel a bit out of the loop here. I’m doing this for the messenger that saved my life, first and foremost. If you guys need other reasons, I get it, but that’s mine.” Hailey put a hand back in her hoodie pocket, messing with the shattered pieces of the compact.

**“To save Lune. To save Star. To avenge Chikara.”**

Niko jolted. She turned around at a voice she didn’t quite recognize - but her head pounded with an echo of pain.

Someone stood, waiting at their table. Their hands were clasped together, eyes dark and sollumn. Creamy-white hair cascaded down their head in twin ringlets, orange tinging the ends as if their hair had been singed. Their skin was almost unearthly white, orange spots freckling their cheeks and arms. A golden stripe seemed to be painted on their forehead, but Niko had a feeling it was natural.

Madison and Aria were stiff as well, staring wide-eyed at the figure. However, the stranger seemed more interested at watching Hailey, something that put Niko on edge.

It was the eyes that made Niko realize who they were. The black eyes, such a stark contrast to everything from their hair to their waifish white robes. The black eyes that light seemed to shine from regardless, reflecting light as brightly as the moon.

“ **I apologize for appearing like this. But you need to understand what you all wish to do.”**

Niko’s mouth felt dry.

“Sollari?!”

The figure nodded.

 **“I suppose that is still my name, even like this.** ” They smiled at that, as if it was a joke. **“Even while being a Herald of Everlasting Hope.”**

Hailey narrowed her eyes. She seemed a lot less surprised than the rest of them.

“Being a what of what?” Madison echoed.

A blur flicked behind Sollari. Aria pushed her chair out, walking over and inspecting every inch of Sollari’s new form. She peered behind them, blinking.

“You still have a tail,” she observed.

 **“Is that strange?”** Sollari asked.

“Kind of,” Hailey said, laying back.

 **“I have not taken a Herald form in a long time,”** Sollari admitted. **“It takes a great deal of power to do so.”**

“Then why now?” Aria asked.

**“I need all my ability to take us to the Outer Limits.”**

That got Hailey’s attention. She almost fell out of her chair as she sat up, looking directly at Sollari.

“You can - we’re - the Outer Limits? Now?” she got out, words mixing together.

 **“Yes. The only thing they have ever needed is a Pretty Cure.”** Sollari looked away. “ **Or...me.”**

“God, there’s a lot of things to unpack there,” Madison sighed. “But I assume we don’t have time for that, yet again.”

 **“I’ll fill you in as soon as I can. First things first-** ” they turned to Hailey. **“Hailey Comden. Hold out your compact shards.”**

“We’re going to do this here?” Madison asked, a bit abruptly. “You know, there’s people here!”

 **“To their eyes, I am not here,”** Sollari said plainly.

Niko blinked in disbelief.

“What?” Madison looked skeptical.

**“It is simple. They just will not pay attention to this table. As long as no one makes contact with us, we are not noticeable to them.”**

Niko felt a bit sick at that, but she didn’t know why.

Messing with people’s minds...something felt wrong about that. But it wasn’t for any ill intent, was it?

Sollari didn’t look very happy about it, either. They seemed professional, but a bit resigned.

“ **Do not worry about it. It is simply for awakening Precure without...resistance.”**

Niko didn’t feel better with that explanation.

Hailey, however, didn’t object. With a bit of digging in her pockets, she stood up and held out the purple and silver shards, wincing slightly as they rattled in her palms.

“I’m...sorry,” she said as she walked over to Sollari. “For letting it be broken. I wanted to protect it with my life, but I was too much of a coward to ever do anything-!”

Sollari placed their hands over Hailey’s own, smiling at her.

“ **Shh,”** they said. “ **Lune would not want you to blame yourself.”**

“Right,” Hailey said. “What should I do?”

Sollari took a breath, the stripe on their head glowing softly along with their eyes.

 **“Hailey Comden,”** they started. “ **Do you pledge to create a new tomorrow with the power of your stardrops?”**

“I do,” Hailey said. The mood suddenly felt tense and sollumn, and Niko shivered as the temperature seemed to drop.

**“Do you pledge to nurture the spark in your soul?”**

“I do.”  
  
**“Do you hold in your heart the will to protect hope, in both body and spirit?”**

“I do.”

**“Do you accept the danger of your duty, and do you accept that you may fall for the greater good of the universe?”**

Hailey blinked, looking down at her hands. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

“Yes,” she said. “I do.”

**“Then I shall bestow unto you the power of the burning stars and the power of a bright heart.”**

The shards that were pressed between two sets of hands began to glow, blindingly white. Small bolts of electricity arced from the shards up their arms, but neither Hailey nor Sollari seemed to mind.

**“With a protective instinct and guiding hand, rise up and take your mantle, child of Maia.”**

Slowly, purple light washed from Hailey’s hands up her body, changing her. White gloves covered her arms as it rose. The light split into two, flowing up and down her body, granting a purple dress with a large hoop skirt, decorated with dark purple and pink stripes. White boots covered her legs as her hair began to glow and expand into the flowing, purple and pink ponytail Niko had seen before.

A pink star dotted itself under her right cheek as Hailey opened her eyes, now shining magenta. Sollari took their hands off of Hailey’s, revealing a fully-restored Cure Compact, the silver metal shining gold. Hailey lifted it up, pressing it into her chest, and a dark purple cape flowed freely across her back.

“The guiding brilliance that shocks the stars!” Hailey’s eyes flashed, though if that was by their own ability of just a reflection of the electricity that arced from the star emblem, Niko didn’t know. “Cure Nova!”

* * *

 Nova looked at her hands, smiling, as the five of them walked along the sidewalk, Sollari’s strange perception field protecting them from anyone’s gazes.

“It worked,” she said.

 **“You may have been awoken before, Cure Nova, but never by a Solar Messenger,”** Sollari explained. **“This is our second, and last, chance.”**

Nova nodded.

“I understand.”

“So, we can become Precure again if we fall?” Aria piped up.

“ **Only by a messenger of a different type. In your case, Cure Pulsar, that would be a Lunar Messenger. Which currently, we do not have.”**

“So we were lucky,” Madison said.

“ **Yes. Very much so.”**

At Sollari’s serious tone, they continued to walk in mostly silence. It just seemed strange to chat amicably when they were supposedly going to the home of their enemies.

“Shouldn’t we...say goodbye?” Niko asked.

**“Hmm?”**

“Like...to our family.” Nova suddenly understood why Niko was asking. If they had captured the powered-up Cure Star, it wasn’t out of the question that they could capture them as well. “In case we fail.”

Sollari stopped as they reached the outskirts of the park that Nova was honestly too familiar with after previous events.

**“I will not let that happen. We may not escape with Cure Star or Lune, but no one will be left behind.”**

“Why do I feel like that’s an empty promise?” Madison huffed.

Sollari turned around, fire in their eyes.

**“It will not happen, Cure Comet. There is more than one reason why I took on this form after so long.”**

They strided to the fields of grass that Nova had been passed out on only hours ago. They had all gotten some sleep, yes - although it had been fitful - and had food, but it still felt like it was too soon to be back here.

Nova felt like if she blinked, Mercury would be back here, smug and gloating.

Sollari stopped once more, turning around and spreading out their hands.

 **“Transform, and take my hands,”** they ordered.

Nova watched as the three girls grabbed their compacts, transforming with calls of “infinity reflection.”

In only a few seconds, flashes of pink, orange, and blue light heralded the arrival of three Pretty Cure. Nova vaguely remembered them trying in vain to help her escape her rage-induced state the night before, but not much else.

“The promise of meaning in the stars! Cure Celestial!”

“A great spirit that lights up the stars! Cure Comet!”

“Rippling love that radiates across the stars! Cure Pulsar!”

Right. They had mentioned their names when Nova had awoken in the meteor shower.

Nova hesitantly took Sollari’s left hand, exhaling as Pulsar took her other one. Celestial gripped Sollari’s right hand tightly, and seemed to have a vice-like grip on Comet’s.

The only two that looked relaxed were Comet and Pulsar, their fingers intertwining as they held hands softly.

Sollari looked around, and took a deep breath.

 **“No one will be left behind,”** they said, almost a mantra to themselves. **“No one will be left behind. No one will be left behind.”**

A exhale, and a deep inhale.

 **“Everlasting Hope!”** Sollari called, looking up at the sky. **“Open the pathways among the stars, so that we may fulfill our duties! Grant these pilgrims safe passage to the universe itself!”**

Then, almost under their breath - or as much under their breath as they could be with a voice that had a strange, mental echo - they muttered their destination.

**“Take us to the Outer Limits.”**

White light flickered in the center of the lopsided circle they had made. Nova looked at it, face pressed into a stoic look.

It was if the stars themselves were shooting beams of light to the ground. That was the only way Nova could explain the phenomena happening around her. Seven, eight, nine, ten, beams of light, multiplying every second, converging onto the ground only inches away from her.

In an instant, it all stopped. And there was a yawning, dark blue and violet void just beyond the edges of her feet, lazy and sparse ripples the only evidence that it was solid.

Sollari stepped in. Celestial walked to the ridge as well, followed by Comet. Nova and Pulsar’s eyes met, and they walked onto it as well.

“ **Don’t let go,”** Sollari warned. **“Not until we’re through.”**

And they begun to fall.

* * *

**i hate you.**

“I can deal with that.”

**you’re a traitor. a coward. no better than the darkness we swore to fight against.**

“Lunar Messenger, please don’t speak unless I ask you to.”

 **yo u c an’t do wh a t yo u  
** **w   a n  t  
** **  
** “It appears I can. Now, why don’t you make yourself useful and change into that helpful form of yours? Your friend did, after all.”

**sollari wouldn’t.**

“Did I ask for your opinion?”

**n o**

“That’s what I thought. Now then…”

 

“It appears we have company.”

* * *

They had fallen through darkness for what had felt like an eternity, their destination apparent below them yet never getting closer. Sollari had spoke throughout it all, holding their hands tenderly.

**_The Soul Spark. The Spark of a Precure. They are one and the same, if not on the same level of power._ **

At last, Pulsar felt herself falling in a new atmosphere, landing on a surface not unlike rock. She felt lighter, as if gravity itself had changed. Pulsar took an experimental breath, regretting the impulse at the last moment.

She inhaled. She exhaled.

She could breathe. Alright. That was good.

Fear pounded through her chest. This was their first fight since Pulsar had arrived too late, done too little, fallen too short.

They could do this.

**_Precure or not, who ever has a Spark of the Precure will always have a Spark of the Precure. No matter if you’ve lost the ability or not, it is there._ **

Darkness swirled in pools as Pulsar started running, slightly behind Celestial, who had torn off the moment they had landed.

Comet looked more hesitant, but she ran regardless, Nova pulling her along with an iron grip.

Sollari ran along them, reverted back to their animal form. It surprised Pulsar that they could do that so easily, but it wasn’t that big of a deal, all things considered.

Their words were still ringing in her head.

**_To extract it would be impossible. It is wired into the subject’s soul, and grows only stronger with their feelings and hope._ **

**_But, that is what they seem to want to do._ **

**_I fear...that they wish to create artificial Precure._ **

“PURIKYUAAAA!”

Rune was there, running at Celestial with twin staves. Celestial dodged the first strike, turning and delivering a solid punch to her back.

Pulsar skidded to a stop, making a gun with her fingers and shooting off a bright blue beam towards Rune. Rune screeched, rolling out of the way.

That had been good. That had been good. Just had keep doing that, and it’d all be okay.

Not like last time. It’d be okay.

She hoped. She prayed.

Sollari leapt, shifting in a flash of gold light to their Herald form and running significantly faster, catching up with Celestial. They called out something about stunning Rune.

**_What I have is known as a Soul Spark. It is what gives me life. It is weaker than a Spark of the Precure, but the properties are about the same. When joined with a Spark from an opposing messenger, it could function as a sort of artificial Spark of the Precure._ **

**_Both you all being here and my own presence are massive risks._ **

“Got it!” Nova shouted, the air seeming to shimmer around her hands.

“Pretty Cure! Gamma Dazzle!” She dived forward, feet first, and pushed up her arms towards Rune’s face, a miniature light show sparking between her palms.

Rune wailed, a high-pitched, droning tone.

“MERC!” she cried, gripping painfully tight on a purple heart dangling from her hip. “GO!”  
  
“If you insist,” Pulsar heard as their second opponent seemed to draw a shape in the air, before punching it and unleashing a strange, pale red beam of energy.

Pulsar couldn’t move. She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t-

 **“Move!”** Sollari called just as Pulsar snapped out of it, ducking below the beam and turning her head to look at Sollari.

Sollari stood tall, one hand parting the beam in two.

Their arm shot out to the sky, redirecting the beam and sending all the energy elsewhere with little effort. Soft golden light pulsed around them, Sollari still looking stoic and unaffected by the feat they had just done. They turned towards Pulsar.

 **“You are unharmed?”** Pulsar nodded mutely, awed by Sollari’s strength.

**_But I was never one to listen to reason, I suppose._ **

**_I was never sent here. I came on my own whims. I didn’t come for so long because I was scared. But the guilt...it ate away at me, no matter the excuses my superiors used._ **

“A Herald, huh? Just my goddamn luck to get one of them.” Mercury’s mechanical arm whined, expelling steam. Pulsar flinched at the noise. “Ritzu, that shit better be ready soon-!”

Comet didn’t let him get another word out, uppercutting the fish-like creature squarely in the gut. Mercury was launched backwards, crashing harshly against the rocky ground.

“Pulsar, now!” she called.

Pulsar yelped, forming another gun-shape with her fingers. She pointed it at where Mercury landed, only to see him suddenly rise up and rush her.

His face filled her vision, and her hands began to shake.

This is what he had done to Nova. The moment played over and over in her mind. The compact, in his hand. Crushed. Star, taken.

_“We can still-”_

No, no, no, no, no, no.

_“No. We can’t.”_

She couldn’t breathe. Air was gone, like he had grabbed her throat, like he had his claw around her compact, like she was alone and helpless.

 _You failed,_ said her brain. _Failed, failed, failed._

“ _PLEASE!”_

**_I ran away. I ran away, away from my responsibilities and my home. I ran away to find the one being who meant the most to me, no matter what. I ran away, knowing full well if I disappeared as well that I would cause great disaster._ **

Pulsar didn’t have her eyes open to see Celestial kick him in the head.

“Pretty Cure! Silver Vortex!”

Pulsar opened her eyes, breathing heavily. Mercury was gone, but the feeling of suffocation remained.

Fear was crippling her. Fear was crippling her. Fear was crippling her-

**_It was selfish. Foolish. It was a desperate move made by a pitiful excuse of a messenger._ **

Someone grabbed her hand.

Nova looked at her, with a gaze comforting yet determined.

 

**_I do not regret it._ **

**_I do not regret a single thing._ **

* * *

 

Nebulous sat on the steps of the temple. She looked at the fighting, feeling a mix of anticipation and frustration.

“I wish they hadn’t come. I told her...I told her…!”

“You don’t wish to capture them?”

Nebulous jolted, turning her head to see Ritzu.

“Jesus!” she yelled. “Someone needs to put a goddamn bell on you.”  
  
“I’ll pass,” Ritzu muttered. “You, however, need a tracker.”

“Sorry I’m not as boring and predictable as your boyfriend,” Nebulous scoffed.

Ritzu didn’t reply to that, instead sitting down and staring off into the fighting.

“They truly became a Herald.”

Nebulous cocked her head.

“Herald? The hell is that?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Ritzu said. “It’s not much of an issue.”

“Sounds like one,” she said.

“It’s funny,” Ritzu said, decidedly ignoring Neb. “Heralds are supposed to be a sign of a new era. A new beginning. They were truly desperate, to wish for that.”

A Herald. There was someone new in the mix, Neb noticed. A girl? Whoever it was, they gave off a feeling that made Neb feel...nostalgic.

Something inside her panged.

“But instead, they shall usher in the end of Pretty Cure.”

Ritzu stood up as the temple doors opened.

“You can come out now, you know.”

Nebulous turned, red eyes meeting black. Purple hair, much like her own, that stood up in small spikes. A black blazer-like vest over a white shirt and sleek, black dress pants.

They kinda looked like a butler, Nebulous mused.

And then their wings expanded. The purple heart affixed on their head pulsed.

**“for star’s sake. for star’s sake only.”**

Ritzu grinned.

 

“Herald Orthia, I’ll leave it to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD
> 
> forgot i didn't tell anyone about the heralds in this chapter so that was fun.  
> uh. 3/3. get ready for the next chapter, 4/3. im sorry but this chapter's almost 4k words and it was never supposed to be
> 
> i love sollari and i make lune suffer woooooooooooo


	12. Interstellar Pretty Cure, together at last!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To the far reaches of the universe, we'll spread our hope.

This is what they were made for, Orthia supposed.

Messengers of death and rebirth, signs of disaster. That was their role in this world. To think otherwise was foolish.

The Menagerie had been foolish. It had tried to teach them to be _better_ , to be _stronger_ , to create more numbers in more checklists. It brainwashed them, as it brainwashed Precure, so that more planets were under the Vertex’s control.

Orthia thought it had been simpler when Messengers had chosen Precure as those worthy to survive the destruction of their planet, and nothing more.

The universe was limited, after all.

* * *

_“Sollari, what - what’s going on?”_

**_“Just go! You need to get to Star!”_ **

_“I don’t understand. Ritzu - the Trinity - everyone...where did they go?”_

_“Why are you so scared?!”  
_ _  
_ _“_ **_Just go!”_ **

* * *

 But now it was all...streamlined. Forced. Protected. They created evil to fight their manufactured heroes, and spread fake hope to the universe.

Heroes would keep them in line. Heroes would keep them placid.

A Cai and le Paya had understood. That’s why they had left. They had created their own Precure, to fight against the _real_ darkness of the world.

* * *

  ** _“Pulsar, please. Just go.”_**

_“I’m worried, Sollari. This...this shouldn’t be happening. Why are they all gone?”_

**_“I think I know why. But...you shouldn’t be here for it.”_ **

_“Sollari?”_

**_“I need to do this myself. The Trinity’s injured enough. You should be safe.”_ **

_“Wait, what do you mean by yourself-?!”  
_ _  
_ _“_ **_GO!”_ **

* * *

 They had failed. But then again, they had always been foolish - they didn’t see what Orthia saw. Orthia saw the danger. They had seen...hope.

Hope was gone.

Hope was dead, along with Pretty Cure.

But the villains? The villains were alive.

* * *

 

“ **L-lune? No, you can’t be...Lune would never…”**

Orthia smirked.

 **“solar messenger. how nice of you to notice.”** They spread their arms out in a facsimile of a bow.

 **“You’re fake!”** the messenger cried. “ **Lune said they would never take a Herald form!”**

 **“and so did you.”** The messenger flinched, the golden aura around them flickering. **“but times have changed, messenger.”**

 **“I can save you!”** The messenger ran forward, golden light in their palms.

With a backhand, they fell to the ground.

 **“i don’t need saving. i don’t need your pity.”** The messenger didn’t move, body face-down on the ground. **“all you care about is hope, messenger. you’re too naive. can’t you see that we have to protect all we have already?”**

Star - no, the Pretty Cure. She was hurt. Dying. They could save her.

But not with hope. No, never with hope.

The Pretty Cure had had hope, and now she was shattered. Hope had hurt her.

 _You had hurt her,_ someone had said. _You will always hurt her._

When had they said that? Orthia didn’t...know the Precure.

They didn’t.

Did they know this messenger? It felt like they did, but they just couldn’t grasp the memory.

It was bright, suddenly. Too bright, as the messenger reverted back to their natural form - a bunny, it appeared.

“Lune, ari! Please, ari….you said we could change it all together, ari!”

Ari, ari, ari. It was getting annoying.

**“you can change nothing, et al. all you can do is doom more people.”**

The messenger was shaking as it grasped Orthia’s ankle.

“No, no, no, no, no, no….no, no, no…”

It was a mantra. A mantra of denial. Orthia crouched down to look at the messenger.

**“don’t you remember, et al? your record.”**

They shook, violently.

“No no no no no no no no no no no, ari! No no no no, ari!”

**“a month. they lasted a month, isn’t that right?”**

“No….no….” Their cries were fading, the messenger releasing Orthia and hiding their face from view.

“ **cure umbra. that was her name, wasn’t it? you were so proud.”**

There was no response.

**“don’t worry, I’m sure this will be different.”**

 

**“maybe this time they won’t die still believing in you.”**

* * *

 “I told you I was trying to help.”

Comet breathed heavily. She had been the first to make it to the strange, tilted temple - and waiting for her was possibly the last person she wanted to see.

Nebulous, hands in the worn red and teal hoodie, red eyes downcast.

“I don’t think this is helping,” Comet shot back. “What you did-”

“-wasn’t my idea,” Nebulous finished. “I just needed to get Cure Star. I told you as much.”

“She was _screaming_ ,” Comet said in disbelief.

“She deserves it,” Nebulous snarled.

Comet laughed humorlessly. God, she was working with a sociopath.

“How is this supposed to help?” She laughed again, more out of disbelief than anything else. “Murder doesn’t solve anything, Nebulous!”

“She’s abnormal,” Neb said, as if it was an answer. “She shouldn’t be alive, much less stronger than she was. If I could just...take that power…maybe I could bring something else back instead.”

“You’re delusional.”

“I’m trying to save you!”

Comet drew back her fist.

“You can’t save anything!” she cried.

Nebulous’ eyes went hollow for a second. Only for a second.

But a second was long enough.

Nebulous _screamed_.

Comet punched, but Nebulous was ready, summoning her rapier even without being transformed. She swiped, digging across Comet’s knuckles and leaving a red gash behind.

“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!” Nebulous roared, swinging her blade once more.

Comet pushed the blade, attempting to deflect it, but Nebulous’ rage fueled her. Comet’s hands paled as she grabbed the blade tightly, red smears across her palms.

“You said you wanted to help!” Comet shot back. “But you’ve done _nothing_ to prove it! What do you even _want?!_ ”

“What do I want?” Nebulous laughed, wrenching her blade out of Comet’s hands. “What do I WANT?!”

She thrusted, and a blade was barely blocked by Comet’s hands, cloaked in fire and searing energy.

“I WANT MY LIFE BACK!”

A _crack_ accompanied the scream, and announced the arrival of thin, violet cracks around Nebulous’ hands.

“I WANT THEM ALIVE AGAIN!”

The cracks snaked their way up Nebulous’ forearms, fracturing her skin into a million different shards.

“I WANT TO WAKE UP, FIREFLY!”

Comet pushed with all the strength she could muster. But there was nothing left in her veins, no blood, no energy, no hope. Just...nothing.

“I want to help you, firefly. I want you to have something, anything, when you realize that there is nothing ahead of you.”

Nebulous’ rapier fell, but Comet didn’t look up to see the tears she knew were there. It felt raw, too raw, something dark and private that Comet was never meant to see.

The purple cracks were up to Nebulous’ cheeks.

“But that’s why we’re here,” Comet said, voice weaker than she wanted it to be. “So that we can be a team. Have a future. Save...something, anything. So that we can matter.”

Nebulous laughed.

“You know what’s sad about all this? It’s that I want to believe you.” She shook her head softly.

Comet reached out, grabbing Neb’s wrist rather than her blade this time. It felt thin, fragile - the violet cracks glowing ominously as she touched them. Red smeared against brown, and Nebulous locked eyes with her.

“But you’re like me, firefly. You don’t know what you’re fighting for - you’re just here to fight. You’re kidding yourself.”

“But I can be better!” Comet cried. “Even if you failed, I can try! To save it all! To save anything! Isn’t that why you wanted to help?”

Nebulous hardened even as she smiled.

“We’re _both_ kidding ourselves, you and me.”

“COMET!”

Comet turned around to see Celestial running towards her, silver light in her palms. She thought she was under attack, Comet realized.

“We want to save each other, but we’re only meant to fight. Isn’t that right?”

Way too quickly, Celestial was there, eyes horrified. She stared at Comet, and Comet remembered much too late that she was holding Nebulous’ hand.

She moved her grip to the rapier, wrenching it out of Neb’s hand and holding it to her throat. Nebulous’ expression didn’t change.

“Get inside!” Comet yelled, hoping the force behind it would mask her anxiety. “Let me finish this - I’ll be right there with you!”

Celestial looked with wary eyes, but nodded, and turned to enter the temple. With a few shouts, Nova and Pulsar passed her by as well - Pulsar lingering the longest.

“Be careful,” she muttered, and ran inside.

“Interesting move,” Neb remarked. “Could have just had them finish me off out here. I sure seem to be broken enough.”

Comet dropped the rapier, running the hand over the violet cracks instead.

“What, are you _concerned_ ? It’s nothing,” Nebulous snapped. “It just seemed like _they_ had something better to do than let me transform.”

Oh, Comet realized. Nebulous was still in her hoodie. She had never transformed.

“Lune?” Comet guessed. Nebulous scoffed.

“I wish,” she said. “No, not the messenger.”

“Then...who?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Neb laughed. “Maybe I’ll tell you someday. If both of us make it out of this mess, anyway.”

Comet sighed. So much for a straight answer. She turned to leave.

“I won’t give up on you,” Neb said. Comet stiffened. “I can save you, whether you think so or not.”

“I won’t...I won’t give up on you, either. No matter what,” Comet stated.

“We’re not very good at being honest, are we?”

Comet didn’t give a response.

* * *

 The temple was bleak.

White stone, white pews, white marble, on a white moon. Yet, it all felt gray, as if the brightness itself was seeping out of it, leaving it cold and lifeless.

Three full-length mirrors stood at the end of the row, gleaming ominously.

“The one to the right. You can go through them - they’re gateways to different worlds.”

Comet strode forward, answering Celestial’s unasked question. She shrugged at Nova’s look of confusion.

“Nebulous told me,” she answered.

“Could be a trap,” Pulsar mused. Comet seemed almost uncomfortable at that thought.

“It’s better than nothing.” Celestial lead the four of them forward, heart pounding. Sollari was fighting the Trinity outside - as well as that fourth figure that had appeared. They had insisted for them to go ahead...but Celestial still felt like she was letting them down.

They had to save Star, though. That was their mission.

With a breath, Celestial stepped into the mirror-

-and opened their eyes to darkness.

Blind panic took hold. Something had gone wrong, something had gone _wrong_ , where was everyone-!

A _fwoosh_ as Comet lit a flame in her palm, lighting up the dark cave.

Oh. It had just been dark.

A blush in her cheeks, silver light flickered to life in Celestial’s clasped hands, acting as a makeshift flashlight.

“So, uh...where are we…?” Pulsar asked, voice uneven.

“Hell, probably,” Comet muttered. Nova glared at her.

“They wouldn’t keep Star where they couldn’t get to her,” Nova reasoned instead. “She has to be around here...somewhere…”

Her voice trailed off as the four of them stopped in front of the containment field.

It looked like the portal they had traveled through - rippling blue and violet and black, as if Star was in her own pocket of space. There were no bars, but there didn’t need to be - Celestial felt the pressure of warping space even at a distance.

And there, curled up in what could be considered a corner of the distorted space, was Cure Star.

She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t calling for help, or even looking up. She didn’t seem to be doing much of anything.

“Cure Star?” Celestial took a step closer. Maybe she couldn’t hear them - maybe the cage was doing something to her. “Can you hear me?”

“Go away, Rune.”

Celestial blinked. Star still wasn’t looking at them, but she should be able to hear the difference between Rune’s high-pitched voice and Celestial’s own.

“I’m not Rune,” she tried to explain. “It’s me, Cure Celestial. We’re here to get you out of here.”

“I won’t tell you anything. You think you’d know that from six months ago.” Star laughed bitterly. “You’re gonna have to actually get in here if you want anything from me.”

“Cure Star, I know we’re a bit late, but it really is us-!”

“Why am I even talking to you?” Star muttered. “Not like you’re gonna admit to trying to break me again.”

“Star,” Nova tried instead. “It’s us. Come on, get up. We need to get you out of here.”

“You forgot already, huh? That you stole Nova’s power. Come on, these are too easy. Try harder, Rune.” Star seemed to curl up even smaller, despite her confident talk.

“She’s not listening,” Pulsar said, looking uneasy. “What do we do?”

“We need to get her out of here,” Celestial decided. “Then she’ll know we’re the real thing.”

“Pulsar, you try. Your explosion should break it easily,” Nova reasoned, putting a hand on Pulsar’s shoulder.

Pulsar blushed, but nodded, gesturing at them to back up. She clasped her hands together, blue energy swirling around her and coalescing into the tips of her fingers, which she had made a finger gun out of.

“Pretty Cure!” she cried, pointing at the distorted space. “Inverted Implosion!”  
The beam streaked towards the barrier between the Cures, sparking as it collided with the wall. Celestial braced herself for the explosion that followed the attack -

\- but it never came.

The sparks fizzled and died, and Cure Star didn’t even look up at the attack.

“It’s harder than I thought,” Nova noted, placing a hand on the distorted space. She frowned. “Comet, you think you can break it?”  
  
“Worth a shot!” Comet flicked a hand, spreading the fire on her palm to her entire arm. She pushed against the space with one hand, gritting her teeth as fire and energy clashed with the unnatural barrier. Comet hissed, and then shouted, placing both hands as if to shove the cage open.

With a small cry, she stumbled, hands hissing with energy. The cage still stood.

“If you really are the Cures...then just don’t bother.”

Celestial looked at Star, whose head was just barely above her knees. She withered at Celestial’s worried gaze.

“Just forget it,” she mumbled. “There’s no point. I can’t escape.”

“Star…” Celestial walked towards the space, placing her own hand on it. The pressure pushed against it, but Celestial stayed firm.

“What would I even do? I’m useless, aren’t I? Can’t even protect my own fairy. They’ve protected me more than anything.” Star shook her head. “I’m worthless.”

Nova jolted.

“Don’t say that,” she said, walking up beside Celestial. “You’re not worthless. You’ve done more than any of us could ever dream of. You’re a hero.”

“A hero. A hero?!” Star jumped up, striding towards Celestial and Nova. She pounded on the barrier, eyes glimmering with tears. “I killed people! Your friends! Your family! I couldn’t save ANYTHING! And you call me a hero?!”  
  
“Without you, we would have lost so much more!” Pulsar cried. “You gave us hope, Cure Star! I believed you were out there, you know! You...you scared me...but a future without heroes or Pretty Cure would have scared me more!”

“You’re the heroes now! So why can’t you just leave me to rot here?! Do a better job than me, won’t you?” The tears were flowing from Star’s eyes, and her voice was halting and rough. “It was MY mistake that gave us Nebulous! If it weren’t for me...if it weren’t for me…!”

“If it weren’t for you, Aster would be alive.”

Celestial turned around. Comet’s eyes were downcast, a gloved hand gripping her skirt.

“Yeah, you’ve made a lot of mistakes. But...but there’s no point staying in the past, is there?” Comet gave a weak smile as she walked up to take Celestial’s hand. “Even if it was your fault in the past, you’re the one who’s saved us _now_ , in the present, right?”

“What does it matter, anyway? You don’t need me. You’re strong enough, now.” Star slumped back down, her back to the Cures. “No one needs me. Not anymore.”

“You’re a hero of justice, aren’t you?!”

Celestial didn’t notice that she had yelled it out until the other Cures turned to look at her. She wiped her eyes, and took a breath.

“You’re a hero of justice! You’re striking possibilities - the flash of justice that we all look up to! You protected us! You inspired us! We feared you, yes, but we admired you so much more! So don’t say that you’re worthless, or that you mean nothing anymore!”

A silver hope flared to life somewhere within Celestial. It lit up her eyes, her courage, her strength.

“The future that I wish for...it’s one where we can be Pretty Cure together, like you and Aster. It’s one where you don’t have to be afraid! It’s one where I can smile, and where Madison can laugh, and where Aria can sing, and where Hailey can cheer us all on! It’s one with you, Cure Star! Because you’re more than your failures! You’ve saved my life - Aria and Madison’s lives, Hailey’s life! I’ll never give up on you! Even if you think you can’t save anything, that _you_ can’t be saved...I’ll save you myself! For Chikara, but also for myself!”

Celestial screamed the words, her conviction flowing through her body. The words flowed from her heart, her soul, her everything - the words were her essence as a Pretty Cure.

“Why?! Why, when you all are so much _better_ than I could hope to be? You talk about a future, but I don’t have one!”

Comet’s grip tightened in Celestial’s hand.

“Why does it even MATTER to you?!”

A breath. In, out.

“It matters...because your name is Juli Kuroba.”

Star’s eyes widened. She turned her head, shock written over her face.

“How...how do you…”

Comet and Pulsar looked at each other uneasily. Celestial didn’t care. She had kept this for long enough - ever since the Seikais had all fallen along with the Precure, ever since the attacks had stopped along with everything else.

“Your name is Juli Kuroba. You went to Ikari High. Your favourite color is pink, and your favourite sweet is mochi because Chikara would buy it for you all the time. You’re fifteen years old, and you made friends with me and Chikara back when we were eighth graders. And I had a crush on you for a few months.” Celestial felt sheepish, but she continued regardless. “I know you have a future, because I know you, Juli. We were friends, weren’t we?”

“N...Niko….?”

Celestial nodded, a smile breaking out onto her face.

“You did save one person, didn’t you? Cause I’m still here.”

“Your memories...they were supposed to be gone!” Celestial shook her head softly.

“They came back after it all. But you weren’t here. I couldn’t say thank you for protecting me.”

“Thank you…?” Star sounded incredulous, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Yeah. Thank you. For being my hope.” Celestial smiled, looking at each of her teammates in turn. “I want all of us to carry that hope forward, as Pretty Cure!”

She outstretched a hand to Star

through

the

barrier.

Star stared at it. She stared at Celestial - Niko Andros, the friend she had left behind. She stared at Comet, who looked uncharacteristically emotional. She stared at Pulsar, who was urging her to take Celestial’s hand. She stared at Nova, who smiled like she had been waiting for this moment a very, very long time.

“I want...I want our smiles to give people hope,” Star said. “I don’t want to fail anyone, ever again.”

Celestial nodded.

“To the far reaches of the universe…” Pulsar started.

“We’ll spread our hope,” Nova added.

“We’ll spread our love!” Comet called, pumping her arm into the sky.

“We’ll spread our smiles!” Celestial grinned.

“We’ll spread our future.” Star finished.

She took Celestial’s hand.

And the barrier - the barrier that had fed off of Star’s own despair - the barrier that had once been thought impenetrable -

the barrier came down.

And five lights flared to life, deep within their hearts.

* * *

 

Sollari’s eyes were closed when it happened.

They were closed, when the temple atop the moonscape lit up with blinding, white light.

They were closed, when five shining lights streaked into the sky, flickering wings lifting them up.

They were closed, because Sollari was putting all their strength into one desperate prayer.

_Please...grant us strength to protect you._

And then Sollari opened them.

 **“messenger. what have you done?”** At the sight of Orthia - this cruel, twisted version of the Orthia they knew - they wanted to close them again. The purple heart that was twisting their mind glew, but Sollari’s guilt weighed heavy in their chest.

“I have done nothing, ari. The Pretty Cure awoke their hope of their own will, ari.” Sollari smiled, courage finally finding its way to their heart once more. “But you, ari...the real you did something, ari. You answered their call, didn’t you, ari?”  
**“you’re speaking nonsense, et al.”** Orthia shook their head, looking decidedly fed up.

“Maybe to you, ari. But not to Lune, ari.” Sollari looked up at the sky. “NOW, PRETTY CURE, ARI!”

Orthia turned around far too late.

Light coalesced around the cures’ wrists - a blinding light that formed something akin to a bracelet. It was shining too brightly to make out, but Sollari felt hope at its appearance.

No, they didn’t just feel hope. This _was_ their hope, given form.

Star was the first to strike, pulling a pale yellow sword out of the mysterious bracelet. She looked at it for a moment, and smiled, as if something long lost had returned to her.

Orthia yelled, purple energy in their hands, but Star’s sword clashed against their reach, yellow light accompanying its attack. She broke through Orthia’s guard with ease, knocking them off balance with a single slash. A fire blazed in her eyes, and her yellow stardrops pulsed with determination.

Pulsar appeared next, both hands gripping a light blue staff almost the size of her.

Orthia pushed themselves up, running towards her. Pulsar slammed the staff into the ground, and with a yell, a blue barrier separated the Pretty Cure and Orthia. Orthia punched the barrier, yelling, but the barrier took it without showing a hint of strain.

The energy rippled before shooting a beam at Orthia, making them focus on guarding the massive amount of energy. Pulsar grunted at the exertion of keeping the barrier up, but turned to the sky.

“Comet! Nova!”

Sollari felt themselves being picked up and being lifted off the ground. They turned to see Nova’s face, now covered with a shimmering lilac visor. Nova gave them a comforting smile before raising their hand up into the air, artificial storm clouds swirling.

Lightning arced between the sky and the ground, blowing apart the ground under Pulsar and Orthia’s feet. Pulsar flapped upwards with her new wings, gripping her staff tightly.

Comet came from the opposite side, a fist cloaked in both energy and a new, shining, faintly orange gauntlet. The impact she made with the ground cracked the moonscape to pieces, orange energy clashing with Nova’s leftover lightning.

Orhtia was caught in the middle of it all, all their energy focused on surviving rather than fighting.

Celestial gripped a silver whip handle tightly in both hands, swirling it in the sky as if it was a ribbon. Then, pumping her hands and the handle into the sky, the whip broke apart into shards of crystals.

A breath, deep and shaky.

Then Celestial wrenched the handle downwards, and the crystals began to fall to Orthia.

 **“you can’t...you can’t have power like this! only something like the star cluster would be able to summon light-linked weapons of their own will -”** Orthia stopped themselves, their eyes widening. A million different emotions crossed their face at once - Sollari saw fear and pride clashing, leaving only confusion and awe. **“no. no, there’s no way-!”**

Orthia trailed off in a yell as the crystals barraged them, digging into their skin and leaving flickering, glitch-like gashes in their new form.

Did...did Orthia think that the cures were the new Pleiades?

The five cures touched down, and Celestial walked forward, her whip swaying gently. Sollari was let down gently, and they willed themselves to return to their Herald form with the little power they had left.

They felt like...it was right. Like they were truly supposed to herald something. A new future, that started right now.

Celestial looked to her left, then to her right, seeing the determined faces of her teammates.

Sollari had never felt so happy about seeing Precure in action.

“Everyone!” Celestial called.

And all together, Sollari’s heart and soul spark soared with the girls’ voices.

“Let our wings soar! Interstellar Pretty Cure!”

“With the light that reaches the far limits of the universe,” Star started.

“We will be your opponents today!” Celestial called triumphantly.

Interstellar Pretty Cure.

Sollari wanted to cry. They had never felt such happiness, such pride, such exhilaration for their Precure.

If Umbra could see them now, Sollari hoped they would be happy. Happy that they had grown. Happy that they had succeeded, at last.

 **“i won’t...i won’t fall to you, precure!”** Orthia cried, a desperate show of strength.

The Precure - the _Interstellar_ Precure - took flight once more, their weapons becoming balls of colored light that they carried between their palms. They lifted the orbs to the sky, letting them float above them.

“Pretty Cure! Light Link Aurora!”

The orbs exploded into hails of blindingly bright droplets that rained down upon Orthia. The Cures flew down with the rain as it barraged Orthia, the darkness flowing off of them like waves.

Star touched down first, taking Orthia’s hand.

Then Comet, Pulsar, Nova, each linking hands with each other as the rainbow-colored light shone down upon them like sunlight in the dark world.

Celestial was the last, walking slowly before taking Orthia’s other hand and meeting Star’s eyes.

“Liftoff!” they called out together, a confused Orthia making only the slightest of attempts to shake off their comforting hands. “With a smile!”

 _Crack_.

A single crack, in Orthia’s headgear. The purple heart of the limiter had a single, thin, crack.

And Sollari began to walk forward.

No, not just walk. They ran, ran with all the energy they had left in their soul spark. They ran, bare feet over shattered earth and ground.

They ran until they could wrap their arms around Orthia - around Lune.

**“It’s okay, Lune. You don’t have to be alone. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t need to put everything on yourself - all our failures, all our despair. I can hold it with you, Lune.”**

**“i….i don’t need any of that…!”**

_Crack_.

**“Lune, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay, now.”**

**“i don’t…! i don’t…!”**

_Crack_.

**“We promised to make the universe better. We’ll change it all, together!”**

**“i...i….!”**

_Crack._

**“Please...come back, Lune.”**

The inhibitor shattered as a single stream of rainbow light connected the sky and the ground.

And one lone fairy cried. Not tears of sadness. Not anymore.

They were tears of relief.

Sollari cried with them.

* * *

 “LUNE!”  
  
Cure Star ran past the rest of the cures, the mysterious bracelet slowly fading away along with her wings. She didn’t know where it had come from, and she didn’t care.

Because Lune was right there. Lune was _right there._

She made it. She lived. She survived, and Lune had, too.

The small bat fairy was left on the ground, barely reverted from the humanoid form they had taken.

Star scooped them up, eyes watering as she held them.

She couldn’t cry. No, no more crying. No more crying.

That promise was broken as soon as Lune opened their eyes.

She couldn’t stop the tears of happiness cascading down her face. Lune was _here_ , in her hands. It wasn’t a dream, it wasn’t a nightmare, it wasn’t a fantasy. It was _real_ , at last.

A smile made its way onto her face, for the first time in months.

Star’s heart almost stopped when she heard Lune began to sniffle themselves.

Something was wrong, wasn’t it?

"Lune! What's wrong? I knew something was wrong, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just-"  
  
"No, uri!" they cut Star off, sniffling. "It's not that, uri!"  
  
"Then...why are you crying?"  
  
Lune smiled, eyes wide and still shining with tears.  
  
"Because, uri...because you smiled again, uri!"

Shimmering tears dripping down her chin, Star turned to Sollari, still in their herald form.

Sollari nodded at the unspoken request, wiping their own tears away.

 **“Everyone!”** they called out.

 

**“Let’s go home.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my dumb bitch ass, crying: I LOVE YOU STAR,,,, IM SORRY  
> anyway i cried five (5) times while writing this. im a sap
> 
> also where was ritzu, you ask? uhhh forgotten - I MEAN they're off being a bitch and trying to control Orthia/Lune. by being a bitch. anyway the Everlasting's gonna be piiiisssed. who knows we might actually see who the fuck they are.
> 
> star's wild ride is OVER! 4/3 parts, but yknow.  
> also, this is officially the end of Arc 1: The Five Lights of the World! at least that's what it's called in my notes. we'll be seeing these fancy upgrades again, of course, but first i think everyone needs a break.
> 
> next time: aria decides to hold a sleepover. it's time to talk about EMOTIONS, suckers.


	13. For a moment, let's just breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to go to sleep.

“I thought...I’d never see this place again.”

Five girls and two aliens stood atop a skyscraper, watching the sun set.

Cure Star took a breath, tears welling in the corner of her eyes.

“I’m home,” she said. “I’m home.”

“We’re both home, uri,” Lune said, snug in her arms.

“We’re both home…” Star smiled.

A flash of brilliant yellow light. The other four girls flinched as Star’s hands and feet began to shine exceedingly bright, spreading the glow up her hands and legs.

After six months, Cure Star was detransforming.

It was a slow process, the magic peeling off her like a bandage. Light poured off her in waves, but Star didn’t mind. She held Lune in her hands, and that was all that mattered.

A girl in a tattered pink shirt and ripped jean shorts was left behind as the light began to fade, bobbed blond hair swaying in the breeze.

She smiled.

“Hey,” Juli Kuroba said.

Then she stumbled, barely catching herself as she fell to the ground.

“Juli, uri! Are you okay, uri?” Lune had jumped out of Juli’s arms, worriedly flitting around her.

“I’m fine, Lune,” Juli said. “Just...tired.”

“Can you stand?” Nova walked forward, outstretching a hand. Juli grimaced as she attempted to pull herself up.

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s hard, but I can manage.”

“If….if Lune was in another _dimension_ …”

Juli turned to see Celestial with a worried look on her face.

“How long were you transformed for?” Juli gave a sheepish grin.

“Six months? Give or take.”

The silence that greeted her reminded Juli how long it had really been.

“Ah….ahaha...it was a bit longer than I thought, huh?” she said, in a failed attempt to lighten the mood.

“We should probably get you to the hospital!” Pulsar said. “C’mon, I know someone-”

“I don’t need to go to the hospital. I just need to sleep.” The last thing she wanted to do was to get asked more questions.

“It’d be a bit suspicious to drop off a girl who’s been presumed dead for six months,” Nova stated bluntly. Juli winced.

“That...sure is a thing, huh…?”

Juli attempted to push herself up, but was stopped by two strong arms around her waist.

Comet picked Juli up like it was nothing, holding her in a sort of bridal carry.

“Ah, listen, you really don’t have to-!” Juli protested.

“Star?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

Juli didn’t question it.

...was it just her exhaustion, or did Cure Celestial look jealous?

“Wait, Comet!”

Comet turned - and so did Juli, pracitcally limp in her arms - to face Pulsar.

Pulsar gave a warm smile.

“Let’s go to my house. Let’s have...let’s have a sleepover!”

~

“Rune, I’m gonna be real. Out of all the inane ideas you’ve had, this is by far the dumbest.”

The bug-like girl in question gave a very exaggerated pout.

“But Nebuuuulouuuuss! It’s to boost morale!” she whined.

“You’re lucky I’m even here. Mercury, on the other hand,” - and this was accentuated by a very pointed glance at the man himself, who was laying on a plush pillow from who-knows-where - “probably jumped at the chance.”  
  
“The other day sucked, okay?!” Rune hissed. “I wanted to have some fun!”  
  
“Even though we all got our asses kicked,” Neb supplied.

“ _Especially_ since we got our asses kicked!” Nothing seemed to put a damper on Rune’s mood. Neb laid back, hands behind her head, and sighed.

“‘Least some of us actually put up a fight.”

Neb stiffened.

“The hell did you just say?!” She whipped around to face Mercury, who gave her a sly wink.  
  
“Hey now, I’m not naming names. Unless you’re confessing to going easy on that Comet girl.”

“It wasn’t like that! Ritzu wouldn’t let me transform…!”

“Like you need to transform to kill amatures like them! Please.”

Neb gritted her teeth.  
  
“Okay, asshole, square up. You and me. I’ll show you what “going easy” means when I’m still kicking your ass!”

“STOP!”

A blue hand separated Nebulous and Mercury, the girl who it belonged to pouting.

“None of that! It’s a sleepover, you jerks! We’re gonna have fun!”

“What fun is a sleepover without a fight?” Mercury smirked in the face of Neb’s glare.

“Only pillow fights allowed!” Rune crossed two pairs of arms with a huff.

Neb raised an eyebrow.

“I saw it on tv!” chittered Rune. Mercury shook his head slowly.

It was gonna be a long night.

~

“A sleepover?”

Aria grinned to the four girls - and two alien fairies - standing in front of her house.

“Yeah! My parents are gone this weekend! They shouldn’t be back until Monday, so we don’t have to worry about Juli!”

The girl in question looked away, rubbing her arm. Aria grimaced.

“Anyway, don’t you all think we deserve some down time?” she asked, quickly trying to change the subject. “Since the attacks started up again, it’s almost been constant. I just want to chill for a bit!”

There was a pause.

Then Niko yawned, very loudly.  
  
“It sounds great,” Niko said with a smile. “I think we’re all tired.”

“Alright!” Aria pumped her arm in the air. “I’m gonna go make popcorn!”

She pulled open the door to her house, running inside. Less than a minute later, she popped her head out of the door.

“Well, don’t just stand there! Come in!”  
  
Aria’s house wasn’t extremely large, but it wasn’t small, either. The house was dimly lit, and the smell of popping popcorn wafted through the kitchen to the living room, where the girls sat on a large, brown couch.

“Aria? We don’t exactly have sleepover stuff…” Madison stated, giving a sheepish grin.

“Don’t worry about that! I’ve got tons of extra pajamas! They’re upstairs in my room!” Aria called back.

“But...we aren’t the same size…” Madison mumbled. Aria shook her head.

“I bought some stuff just for this occasion! I really wanted to have a sleepover with everyone!”  
“Wait, wait, hold on.”

Hailey walked up to where Aria was waiting for the popcorn to cook, and simply looked at the girl.

“You bought us pajamas…?”

Aria blushed, rubbing the back of her head.

“Well, uh...after the day I became Precure, I knew I wanted to do something fun for everyone. But then we found you, and Juli got taken...so I just bought some more clothes based on estimation for later, cause I knew we were gonna have to cheer ourselves up later. One for you, and one for Juli, since I knew we were gonna get her back! I hope it works.”

Hailey didn’t answer, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s weird, I know…” Aria mumbled. “But we were all so busy and worried, I didn’t exactly feel comfortable suggesting it. Plus...it gives Juli a place to sleep tonight.”  
  
Hailey’s eyes widened, then softened in realization.  
  
“Oh,” was all she said.

“We have a lot to talk about...I just wanted to make it easier on us all.”

A nod from Hailey. Aria smiled.

“C’mon, help me. The popcorn’s done.”

A _crash_ from the other room.

Aria and Hailey walked through, a bowl of popcorn in Aria’s hands, to see Niko practically covered by Blu-Rays.  
  
“Uh,” Niko said, sheepish. “I was checking if you had the Skyfall movie? Y’know, the cartoon we used to watch? But I guess not.”

“Wait, the movie’s out?!” Madison practically attacked the pile of movies, searching through them. “I never got to see it in theatres!”

Aria shoved the bowl of popcorn in Hailey’s hands, dropping to the ground and picking up movies.  
  
“I don’t have the movie,” she explained with a smile. “I don’t think it’s out on Blu-Ray yet. But I do have the two season bundle! It’s got extras~!”

Niko and Madison’s heads popped up, eyes sparkling.

“If you can help me find it in this pile, we can watch it!”

That was all the incentive they needed. The two girls dove into the pile, picking up and sorting movies and tv shows faster than Aria had ever seen.

Then…  
  
“HERE!”

Sollari almost fell off the table where Lune and them were curled up at the shout.

Madison held up a Blu-Ray proudly, the cover adorned with a hooded girl with large, almost impractical distorted wings.

“I’ll put it in!”

Niko almost tripped over herself as she shuffled on her knees to put it in the player, humming a theme song under her breath.

Madison began to put the discs back as Aria sighed in relief, sitting down next to Juli. Off to the side in an armchair, Hailey hoarded a bowl of popcorn, smirking.

“Did you see this show?” Juli looked surprised when she noticed Aria had asked her the question. She gave an embarrassed grin.

“Uh...mostly! I never caught the second season. Mainly because...y’know.” Ah, everything did come back to that eventually. Aria gave what she hoped was a sympathetic smile.

“Well, the second season is wild. We should watch that first.”

“No way!” That was Niko shouting back, now fiddling with the remote. “First season first! With commentary! Then we can do second season clean!”

“O-okay…!” Juli stammered, unprepared for Niko’s pure enthusiasm.

Aria laughed.

“It’s been a while since we all got together to watch Skyfall, Niko! Remember when you insisted on us being there for every new episode?”

“Of course! I would have kept that if there had been an actual schedule for the airings!” Niko shook her fist at some imaginary enemy. “Curse you, networks…! Having them come out on the app first - I mean, who does that?!”

“Well, at least you guys can all watch them together,” Hailey added, already a third of the way through the popcorn. Aria sent her a look, and Hailey froze, popcorn stuffed in her mouth.

Juli reached over, grabbing the significantly less full bowl and placing it between her and Aria. Hailey crossed her arms, almost pouting.

“Aha!”

With a _click_ , Niko found the right channel, the menu music already blasting. Niko began to sing along at the top of her lungs, Madison joining in not long after.

 _Air Rider: Skyfall_ popped up on the screen, and Niko and Madison cheered.

Juli nudged Aria with her shoulder.

“Did you ever understand why it had two names?” she whispered.

“Copyright?” Aria shrugged.

Juli seemed to take that as an answer, and laid back, digging through the popcorn.

“So, uh...what’s the big deal with this show, anyway?” Hailey asked, finally paying attention now that she didn’t have a bowl of popcorn to distract her.

“WHAT?!” Niko and Madison yelled in unison.

Sollari, who had been curling up again around the asleep Lune, actually did fall off the table this time.

“Oh boy,” Aria sighed. “It’s gonna be an interesting night.”

~

“So Neb.”  
  
“Don’t call me that.”

“Why are you here?”

Nebulous looked at Mercury, who was lounging, mechanical arm half-submerged in a bowl of misshapen, pale purple chocolate candies Rune had “made”.

“Cause Rune would cry if I didn’t? I don’t know if you’ve heard her cry, but it’s annoying as hell.” Neb scoffed, looking at the curled up girl in question, who was giggling at a movie projected on her heart receiver.  
  
A movie that only she could understand. But it wasn’t like Neb cared either way.

“I meant here, Nebulous. In the Outer Limits.”

Suddenly, Nebulous was paying attention. She moved on instinct alone, gripping Mercury’s mechanical arm with one hand.

“What does it matter to you?” she all but hissed, voice portraying the emotion lacking on her face.

Mercury raised a single fold above his eye.

“Touchy.” He slowly withdrew his arm from the chocolate bowl and Neb’s grip, shaking it twice.

“You don’t need to know anything,” she growled, laying back down.

“I’ll tell you what this place is. And why I’m here.”

Nebulous raised an eyebrow. Mercury sighed.  
  
“The actual story. All I can remember. Not some one-word answer.”

A soft _click_. Rune’s movie turned off.

“At the very least, you should know something about me. It’s kinda unfair that I know your real name. That’s loads more than you know about me. Right, Neb?”

Neb scoffed.  
  
“Please,” she said. “Like you actually know my name.”

“Kasumi Mitasha.”

She stiffened. Mercury smiled.  
  
“If you’re human, which I’m pretty sure you are, I doubt you would create a new name for your disguise when no one knew your real name in the first place.” He waved away Neb’s stammered objections, sighing. “Listen, I’m an asshole, but I’m not stupid. I’m just saying it’s unfair that I at least know that.”  
  
“But why now?”

Mercury gave a short sort of laugh.

“Well, the Pretty Cures have grown stronger, haven’t they? If I die, I’d like y’all to remember me as something more than that freaky fish guy.” He looked off into nothing, eyes softening. “So I thought I’d tell you all I could remember. About the Outer Limits, and Ritzu, and myself. Even though it isn’t much.”

Nebulous had nothing to say. She simply nodded.

“You want to hear too, don’t you, Rune?” Mercury turned to look at the kuriline, who mumbled something, not looking at either of them. Mercury shrugged. “You can say anything that you know, if you want.”

Barely, Nebulous heard an “okay”.

“Well then. Let’s get started, shall we?”

~

My name isn’t Mercury. I don’t remember my real name, or what species I am. A strange thing to forget, huh?

I forgot...a lot about myself. I don’t know what that says about me.

I remember my planet’s name. Aletheia. It wasn’t a large planet - not like Earth, or the planet that you are from, Rune. It was mainly liquid - so most of its creatures were aquatic.

I guess we would be similar to humans, Nebulous. There were other semi-sentient species on Aletheia, but none like us.

The rulers of Aletheia were the Four Kings of Truth, and their word was law. Most “people”, for lack of a better word, would spend their entire lives not knowing the names or faces of the Four Kings. That was simply how it was.

I was different. I lived in the capital itself. I was the son of the Third King, and as such I was amphibious. Only those related to the Kings were amphibious - it was a symbol of class, and of power.

The Kings spoke, and the people obeyed. It didn’t matter what they demanded. Their word was truth.

There was a hierarchy of sorts - the Fourth King could not decree anything that went against the Third, the Second, or the First. The Third could not decree anything against the Second or the First, the Second could not decree against the First, and the First…  
The First King was almighty. There was nothing they could not do.

Sometimes, people would uprise against the Kings, but a simple decree from the First King would change all that. They would put down their weapons, as if a simple “cease” had changed their entire worldview.

The First King would speak to the leader of the rebels.

And the next day, out of their own volition, the leader would be dead.

So Aletheia lived like that. And it was peaceful.

Then, when I was fifteen cycles, the Vertex Core visited for the first time. And with them came the Pretty Cure.

“Hope 0731”, they called Aletheia. Their messengers swam in the seas, flew in the sky, walked on the land. The Pretty Cure went wherever they went, talking to our people, warning them against the Kings. I didn’t understand. I _couldn’t_ understand. Why didn’t they like the Kings?

The Fourth King told them to stop. Nothing happened.

The Third King told them to leave. Nothing happened.

The Second King told them to surrender. Nothing happened.

The First King told them to die.

 

Nothing happened.

 

The small rebellions gained strength with the Pretty Cure behind them. The Kings fought and spoke with the rebels in equal measure, attempting to reason.

But it didn’t mean anything to the Vertex Core. The Kings must die, they told the rebels. The rebels only thought Aletheia was peaceful because they had known nothing else. It would be better this way.

I was terrified. Of the rebels, of the messengers, of the Pretty Cure.

So one day, I fled from the capital, into the seas.

I was panicked. I could barely remember how to breathe from my gills. I was drowning, in panic and fear and in the seas.

Until they brought me to the surface.

I don’t remember their name. I don’t remember anything about them.

I don’t remember anything about myself after that point.

For lengths of time in my memory, there's nothing.  
Nothing.

 

Then, the Vertex Core reached the capital. I was there, protecting my father.

And someone walked towards me. A guy who looked like me, with white fins cascading down his back. A subject of the Four Kings. A resident of Aletheia.

But now, he was a Pretty Cure.

They had infected our own people - transformed a proud subject of Aletheia into a Pretty Cure. The parasitic messengers, Cures, everyone...they had torn our world to shreds.

I could only see red.

The Pretty Cure opened his mouth, and said to me

"I͡͏͡t̴'̷̨̛s͢ ̛͠r͠e̡a̴̸͡l͏̵l͡y҉̡̛ yo̷u̶.͢҉ ̷Th̨e̸̴y͠ ͏͡real͜l̴͘y͟͏ t̴oǫ̵k yo̧͝u f͟͜͞r̨̛o̶̡͘m͏͘͟ ̸m̷̶͝e̢҉.̡"͘

I didn’t understand. Who was this Pretty Cure?

 

"̨̮̝̳͈̬̺͖̞ͦ̐͛̌͟͢I̙̻̼̲͕̖̍̀͗̓ͯ͊͢ͅ'̴͓̮̾ͯ̑ͅͅv̼͑ͮͯ̓̈̆͆͌͘͡e̮̥̳̦̙̬̤̫͙͋̐ͥ̊̐͡ ̶̪͈̜̹ͨ͛ͧ͜m̛̃̅̀̾͌̽ͧ̇͏̢̘̬̺i̷̦̲̟͕̓ͪͧ͋̀͟s̡̜̲͓̏ͨ͢ș̐̓e̼͚̝̫̝ͧͤ͋̅́̏̌̕d̬̤̱̮̲̳̮͈̒͌̉̓̑͘͟ ̖̗̬̹͗̇͛̿̓̂ͭ͆y̜̹̏̄̅̓̈́́ͧͧ̄o̶̲̤͍̜̹͚̠ͬͪ̀ͩ̓̽̂ͬ͘͝u̡̗̦̫ͤ̈͂͝ ͉̙̬͍̮͕̔̊ͥ̂̉ͮs̶̳̩̭̈͆ͨ̋̈́̉͒̚͟ȏ͉̻ͫ͊ͭ̓̋ͫ ̨͓͙̠͚͂̌m̡̼̯͔͈͖͚͋ͮ͝u̴̜̬͇̺̰͌͑̏͊ͬ̊c̨͎̠͙̹ͦ͝h̩͔̜ͪ̈́͢!̵̛͔̤͖̦̦͚̮̾ͮͫ͌"͆̀̊͏̨͍̳̱

 

I shook my head. He was an intruder. I had to kill him.

  


"̍ͦ̈̉ͤ̔͆̌͋̀͆͏̵̶̻̩͎͍̤͓L̢̦̥̗̰͚̘͚̪͈͖̘̬̫̘͍̺͈̊̑̓̃ͥ̿͊̿ͫ̎̍̚e̡̗̘͇͉͚̭̩͕̻͕̠̠̠͕̣͚̤͗̅̓ͣͥ͛ͨ̀̄͆͛̈̈́͋ͦ͗͟t̶̛͐͗̐̄̓̌ͤͮͦ͆̋͂̀̓̃̏͞҉̵͇̹͉̠͖͍ͅhͩ̏ͪ͒̽͂͛̂̎ͨͫͩͣ̆̚҉̴̧̲̮̟̼͙͚̝̜̥̱̦̤̭̯̦̦̞̳ë́ͮͯͭ̏̋ͣ̀̐͒͆҉̨͔̯͍̦̰̥͕̗̬͇!̛̺̦̱̟̟͙̂ͪ̒̅ͦ̾̽̄ͫ͌̄̎ͮ͒ͦ͝͝"͌̏̀̍̎͛̋̇ͧ̂̈̏̅̚͜͢͏͍͚̮̝̥̪̺̦̻

 

I just didn’t understand…!

 

_“But I don’t know you! Am...am I supposed to?”_

 

His face fell. He said something, anything, that I didn’t hear or remember. Tears dripped down his chin.

 

“̩͈ͩͦͦ̇͂̆̾̅͊̕Ï̙̭̠̲̔̑͌ͧ͋̂ͪͅ’̡̘͑m̢̛̭̗̩̮̯̜̊̈ͩ̍ͮ́̍͒ͣ ̸̭̙̺̩̙͈̹̖ͬͮ̾͒͋̽̓̈̂s̼͈͍̼̩͌̂ͫ͝ő̧̻͔͈̻̙̫̮̒͛ͧ̕r̢̲̞̬̪̮̪̳̣̊̓͂͌ͦ͋͂͊r̶̡͕ͦ͌͝y͒ͪ̉ͯ̚҉̷̞͙.̗̜̲̥̻͇͂͐͐̎̊͒͢͟͝”̵͎͛̋͘

 

And then he killed me.

 

There was nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing n o thing no th i ng noth i ng noth1Ng 0thing Noth1NG nothing NOTHING noth!NG n o thING NO th1ng NOTHING n̪̙̋ͅ ̗̜̎ͭȯͦ̈́͞ ͩͨ̆͏̗͈t̗̼̜̟̗͈͎̀̑͝h͔̯̻̺̼͔͈ͦ̾̓̅̎͠ǐ̟̘̞̔͐ͧͥn̞͎͓̫̣̬͋͗̽̀̍g̈̽̈́ͪ̊ ̹͓͎̈́̑ͬn̓̈́͊̃̂ͣo̟͉̙͎̙̊ͮ̾͘ ̛̫̦͕̙ͤͬ͛ͮ̚̚tͩ̈ͪ̉ͅh̯̝̤͓̰̖͈ͩ͟ ̟ͩ̿̎̅̈́ͤ̍̕ͅi͙̩͖̬͚͉̪͆͂̚ ̤̣̙̋̒̆͐ͦ͜nͧͬ͋̏҉g̖̗ͥ̐̏ͥ͊͋̀ ͈̯̯̪̩͇̰͊̃̒̈ͦ̕ṅ̲͆ͫ̊͛͠o̱̖͍̰̻ͧ̐̓̈̒ͦͮt̼̩̼̑̅͛͠h͍̞͍͔͌̏ ͉̪͑i̲̩̪̬͚̤̿̑̒̒͊ ͎́͑n̷̤̏́́ͪ̎g̵ͮͤ́͛̎ ̴͙͎͙̻̜̗̗̋͌ͭ̈n̝̝̎ͦ͑̒̑ọ̥͚̫̤̯̗ͪͯ͐ͣͫ͝tẖ̦̜̦̼̐̉1͑ͮ͑͒ͯ̐͏͔͖̖̺N̻̦̫͔̳͉̔ǵ̠̫̞̞̳̗̔̐̽ͨ ̝͐̓̎̓ͪ̃̋͠0͎̯͊̉̾̓̿̀ͅt̢̉h̙̗͙̬ͥ̂̽ͫ̀̕i̦nǵ̤̺͇͎͎̃̐ͣ̊ͭ̃ͅ ̴̹̣͕N̢̓ͪ̃ô̙͔ͭ́̂͆t͉ͥ̎h̼̻̱̓͊ͮ͆͊1̞̇͑͌̊̀Nͧ̉G͗ͧ̊ͪ͞ ͚͓̓̉ͬ͊ͫ͒ͧń͖̤̹̦̭̜̻ͫ͊ͬ͐ọ͕͔͖ͫt̝͔̹̘͎̣̫͑̊̓ͭ͊ͧͩ͝h̷̙͉̲̞̆͒͌ͥiͦ̅ṉ͉̲̭̠͎͔͊̏ͩͧg̜̼̺̋͌ ̝͍̼̤͖͗ͦ̀ͦN͙ͩ̋́O̢͇̬͎̙͕͉̜͆̄ͬͨ̃̀̚T̳͇̼̩̻̜̪͑͊̋̌̅H͒̇ͧ҉I̛͐͆̒̌Ṋ̈́͟G͔͚̦̓͐͊̄̚ ͚̥̿͛ͤ͌͐̑ņ̺̠̹͚͂͊̅̈́̀o͇͍͕̜͎̮̟͢t̴̖̱͒̓ͩ̋̀ͩ̾ẖ̓̒̄̎̍ͣ!̧̜̱̼̟͛̌̈̍̌N҉G ̬̊ͣ͒ͦn̝͈̙͎͒̇ͪ ̖̖̭̟̣̓oͣ̓̿ͧ͛͟ ͩ͂͠t̮̘̑ͫ̑̓ͩ̈ͥh͇I͎̠Ṅ̛̹̔͒̂G̦̦̝̦̝͖͖ ͮ̍N͏̬̺̗̬̤̤̗O̢͎͈ͯͤ ̥̗̣͙ͩ̅̃t̛͈̲̻̦ͅȟ̨̪͎̭̩̰ͅ1̨̞̪̠n̙̝͎̝̼ͨ́̚͠ͅg̫͗ͫ̊̒ͦͣ͒ ̅̇҉̳N͓̬̯̖̦ͯ͊͒O̩̐ͤ͑̚T̛͊H̖̩ͮͅI̞͙͎̰̳̋̂̄̋͢N̷̞̤̺̟̝̤̞͒̈ͮ́̚Gͧ̋̀̕ ̨̦̯̝̘n̲͖̫̬̯͉̓̑ͨͦ̒͑̇͞ ̤͈̟ͯͧͥ̈́͋̿ͭ͞o͋͆̾͗̆҉̫ ͈̫̙͎̈́̿ͦͬ̐̏̎t͖̳̪̮͙̻̣̹̙̃ͨ̊ͣ̽̐͟͟h̄ͨ҉̸̡̟̮̝̳̦̺͓͍i̱͕̥ͮ̈́ṋ̇ͩ̍͊̇͊̚g̖̠̱̣̬̜̫̲̒̋ ͎̲͆͊ͮ͢n̷̸̦̖͈̣͕͋́ͩ̓ͣ́ͥ̀̂o̷̟̠͆̔̂͒ ̬̲͙̹̱̦̯̰̇́͜t̠͉̭̭ͯͯͩͥͦ͊ͪ͟͠h͛͗ͪͤ́ͪ͏̗̖̻̗ ̥ͮͤ̈́̇͗̽͑͆i̘̯̖̫̹̙͙̗͗ͩ̒͗͢͟ ͚̗̺̙̺̼̹͊ͦ͊ͯ̕n̴̰̙͉̖̱͖͆ͫ̔̚g̡̟͍̞͖͎̩͉ͬͤ͛̅̅̔̆̀͐ͅ ̝͂ͥ͐̅n̸̳͈̥̜̾̃͆̚͢ȏ͖̼̯͂ͤ͞ṱ̼̲̦̣ͪͣh̤̻͇̖̭̳͎͗̓̅̉́͊̕͡ ͭ̌͌͒͊ͮ̄ͮ҉̦͔̯̗̺̫̬͞i̠͎͍͎̩̟͓̻͚̎̉̎͠ ̩̪̲͚̮͚̉͆ͧn̼̦̫̑̊͋͋͋ͅģ̧͙̲̲̫̮̳͕̤ͥͫͫ̀ ̶̠̻̞ͮͧ̊͒̉̽̅͑͜n̑͋̈͏̷̰̳͞ǒ̴̗̪̬̯͓̋͐͛ͦ̒̕ẗ̻͈̥̪͇̯͓̪́̈́͊͆̉̇͗͞͞h̠͓̥̘̺͚͉̪̀͋ͮ̈́ͤ̚1̢͖̥̝͉̳͔̝̓ͤͯ͗̍ͪ̏͊N̳͎͂͛̉ͯ̿͌̎͝g̙ͬ̾ͥ͋ͭ̏̾̈́ ̗̮̭̟͓̼̂ͮ̋ͫ͐̊ͅ0̶̧̜͈͂̓ţ̸̛͎̲͙͈̌̿h̫̯̭̻̤̰̓ͨ̚̕͠i̩̩͉͔͍̯̪͎͑ͬ̂̉n͓͓̣̺̥̱̈͛͒̚͘͢͝g̶͍̿ͣ͑ ̓̂͆͑̏͢͏̵̬N̊̊̒̏̃҉̡̙̯̦̜̜̣͢ͅͅo͕̙̯̹̺͙͕͈ͦͤ̊ͭ̅̐ͯͤt͖̜̠ͨͦ̊̽͝ḫ͉͓͚̖̩̺̎ͬ̊̓ͧ̾͊̋̐ͅ1̰̭̫̫͎͉̈̑̂͠Ṇ̰̟̺͗̆̉͞͠G̸͕͍̙̥̍̾̈͗ ͉̮̭̠̂̽ͥ̾ͩͣ͞n̢͇̝͕͓̟͇̮̐̑ͭ͒̆́ͬ̈ŏ̴̬͍͕ͫ͐̿̾̄͌̚̚t̸ͣ̆҉̴͇̭͉̖͍h͇̯̠̜͈̯͍̪̣ͪ͂̂ͨ̉͊̓̓̈́͞i͕͉͌ͩ̈͆n̷̛̳̻̯̯̝̄͛́̓͞g̸̛̣͍̹̘͗̇̈́ ̵͔̰̱̽̓͢Ñ̻̰̰͉̘̬̖͕͊͋̕͝Õ̴̥̹̙͈̪̮̭͐̅T̢͉͉̪̥͙͇̼̭̲͆ͪͪ̒H̟͛̍̃̌͢Ì̡͐̒́͗̃͑͏̹̬̺̭͎N̰̯̣̙͕͚̣̬͇ͥ̃̐͒̕͡G͇̮̺͈̖̥͋ ͪ̿ͬ҉̡̮͉͇̹̞n̮͉ͧ͋̋ͣo̍͒͒̔̃̓̔̚͘҉̲͔͉͠ţ̜̦̩̖̮̠̞̩̇́ͮͯ̍h̰͒̈̌̕!͈̻̺͑͆̓ͣ̓ͯ̏̎ͭ͢͟N̗̤͈̟̖͍̤͆ͪ̚Ǵ͇̰ͧ̅ͣ̄̅͘͡ ̛̦̊͌̽̽ͣǹ̳̹̱̟̮̿̓̄ ͕͛̏̏͢͞ő̲̺͚̭̲̳̿͊͒̾͜ ̵̮̬̤̖͇̂̾̈̋ͤt̷̖̮̼̊̒̐̃h̴̵̺̰͍̥̗̬̎͌͜I̛͕̘̥̲͔̗͙ͦ͂̇N̶̗̯͔̗ͦͤ̾͒G̬̯̏ͩͣ̎͂ͫ͢͜ ̴͖͔ͭ̂͆ͩ̊̓N̛̦̙̿͑̿̈̚͝O̘͉̳͚͔͇̯̿͟ ̬̠͌̓t͕͍͈̘̼̼͛̏̐͞h̯̦̰̀ͣ͂̒͞1̬̰̙̄ͅn̢̗̭̩̤̺̋ͩ̑͐͠g̸̨̳̫̼̫͉̓̈́̾ͬ̅̿ ̢̠̯͓̱̇̿N̸̹̣̗̰̯̙̤͉̈̓̿̔ͦͨ͒Ô̱̦͙̓͜T̮͔͈̯ͫͤH̥̤̗̺͉̝̺͌̏I̶̸͓̻̬̯ͫ̇ͫͮ͌͢ͅN̦̗̭̑͒G̢̼̟̘̹̭̙͖͓͚ͤ͊̏̂ͨ̅͑͂ ̸͎̱̦̘̲͓ͫ̽̃ͮͤ͟n̶̡̉̒̌͒̊̈͆̑͋͂́̈̅́̚͠͏̲͖̘̦̟͙̩̹͓̺̫̭̦̺͍̩̖̰ͅ ̶̡̡͉͙̰̱̟̠̜̩̹̫̹͈̍̔͐ͩ͂̋̾ͪ̐͒ͬ̈́͠ǒ͙͉̩̝̇̃̔ͮ͂ͦͧͩͧ͋͛͠͞͞͠ ̜͖̹͚̥̼̀̔͒͂̋̎͘̕͜͞t̶̴̛͔̪̗̠͕͚͓̀̀͌ͯ̃̌ͦ̐̒ͥ͐̚͜͞ͅͅh̶̢̗̦̥̫̗͈̬͓̥̜̭̰̠͈̑͒̅̾ͦ̈ͫͪͩ̆ͮͮ̌ͤ̐̓͑į̼̲̰̮̣̦̮͍̤̲̣̮͙̲͍̗̓̅̾ͨ̏͂͗ͨ͠ͅn̢͔̟̞̗͎͎̠̳̩̮̉͌ͩ̎̊͞ͅg̶̡͈̠̬̼̗͇̺̣̥̙̹͇̦ͩͬ̅̐̌͝ ̷̡̢̞̹̤̜̫͔̮̬̳͓̱̻̙̰ͫ̋͊ͥ̏̈́̓͝ṇ̶̢͎̬̹̺̥̹͔͎̆ͪͬ̇̅ͮ̿̑̓̏͆ͮ͗ͦͤ̚̚͜ͅͅo̡͖̝̣̹͉̻̬̳̗͑̀ͧͭͤ́͒̚͠ ̸̃ͦ͑ͩ͑͋͌ͭ̊̈̀̍̎̆͛͆̓͛͏͚̯̖͇̩̰̬͞ṫ̔̃ͮͬ͌̆͊͋̌͋ͦ̇́̄̏͛̏ͨ͜҉̩͎̞͉̻̭̹͕̥̱̤͈ḣ̨̢̺͚̜̞̗̪̝̣̤ͬ͒ͬͪͧͣ̽͂̐̎́͑͗ͫͧ̈̇̚͝ ̛ͩͧ̓͐̇̂̽̾̑͌̑ͤ̈͌̓͡͞͏̮̥̮͍̯̳̝͉̝̰̱iͣͬ͑̔̾̒̚҉̷͇̯̝̗̻͖̤̭̘̩̠̳̳̲̙͢ ̵̷̗͇̹̯̺̤̬̣͚̫͈͖ͩ͂ͧ̒̑̆̽̈͆̊̓ͧ͗͒̆̒̎͝n̵̛͚̫̗͇͂̎̈͒́͌ͬ̾̆͌̈́̽͂̊̐͞g̛̛̗͍̫͍̠̗̣͖ͬ̿̉̌̃̈́ͥ͆͒͑̅͂̈́͗ͦ͐͞͞ ̧͓͖̜͇̬ͭͯ̃͂͊ͩ͛͋̔̐̕͘͟ṇ̛̲͍̙̌̀̂͛̕͡o̸̖͉̺̲̗͉̼̩͍̳͈̣̭̮̙͂̊ͯ̽̂͑ͬ̊̊̇̿͑ͩ̉̐ͬ̍̐ͨ̕t͆ͬ̈́́́̀̃ͣ̈ͩ̅͆̂̃̍ͧͭ͏̮̮̰̹̬̯̜̪͇h̸̸̨͚̫̖͈̬̬̤͙̏̐͐́̐͌̂̌̄̆̚ ̨̱͚̳͙͓͒̆ͬ̄̀ͅi̢̲͎̯̲̦͉̳̥̦ͥ̇ͥ̈̾̄ͩͦ̍̚͜ ͗͂̇͛̈̽͛ͤ̿̑̎ͪ̉̽̅҉̢̢͠͏̭͍̙̜̣̞͇̺͙̙̟͍͎̮̹̤̦͈n̡̥͇̠̩̜̯̣̮̺͎̺͋̊̓͢͡g̢̃̎̀ͯ̈́̏̇͋̋̿͋͋͂̉ͮ͢͝҉̞̰̜͕̳̫̬̘̪̭͇̬͎̟̰̱̰͢ͅͅ ̛̖̦͚̥͔̋ͭ͐̑̿͑ͦ͋͐ͯ̌͆ͨnͦͮͦͭͪ̑ͨ͊͗ͣ͂ͦ̚̚͘͡͡͏̵͎̥̘͖͈͉̣͈̩͈̞̦ǫ̷̛͕̥͍̞͙͎̜͔̙̖̭̲͆̆̇͛ͧͪͫ̓ͬ͢ͅt̸̓ͤ̐̃ͤ̂ͭͯ̒̒ͭͫ͂̑̅̓͊̄̚͠҉̘̜͈̣̭̳͙ͅh̷̢̞̮̦͍͙̹͈̜ͥ́͋͒̍ͫ̾̆ͪͨͤͤ͛͜1̄̉͆̋͂ͧ̾̐̅ͥ̍͑ͩ̇ͩ̊̚̚͢͏̝͚̞͍͚͇̜̥̣̠͖͉̯͖̰̹̕Ṋ̷̨̛͓̞͉̞̥ͤ̒̿̄g͕̟̝͇̬̹͕͉͍̗̥̞̞͖̬̫̍̽͋ͥ̿ͮ͝ͅ ͈̜͚̭̟͔̜̝̘̙̞͇̮̺̬ͬͪͥ̆͜0̢̳̰͇̭̺̬̟͕͎̯̝͉̾͊͛̚͜t̮͈̤̰̘̬̹͉̲̠̫͈̬̜̳͙͔͐̌͂ͪ̉͜ͅḩ̨̫̮͕̮̮̃̂̈͒̔̃ͬ̓ͦ̿ͣ͂͆͛ͬ͆͟͜͡ǐ̸̡͒̃̈́҉̝̺͈̭̜͖̱̜̬͕̖̱̺̤̮͉͙͕ņ̢͛͋̂̐͌͐̇̂̌̃̂̂́̕͝҉̹̬̣̩̦͓͉͖͕̱͎gͧ͋̋͌̎̽ͧ̇̌͊̇ͩ̚҉͎̞̭̤̬͎͇̥̦̘̳̺͜͡ ̶̶̘͔̪̯͎̼̣͔͂ͭ̋ͦ͆͑͐̄ͨ̍͐N̴̈ͩͯ̆̇ͨ̂ͮ̇͏̹̖̻͇̤͚̯͈͚͇̺̥̟̗̦õ̸̯̬̯̻̳̩͖̝̥̼̭̖̹͓̋͆̄͋̏ͪ͒͋̈́̀͜t̼̞̠̘̾̓͆̊̅̿͒͑͌̓́͗ͪ͢͡h̸̸͖̻̲̲͓̺̪͈̘̱̜̘̠͔͕̀̓̅̓̾̐̊̌͌ͩ̍ͪ͂͛̈̃̉͡1̶̨̙̦͈͇͔͖̣̖͇̬̣͎̫͇̜̦̎̄ͥͩ̂̐̄̔̈́͜͠ͅN̷̶̨͇̗͙̰̲͇̲̤̻͔̠͙̝͕̼̣̥̩̫̎ͣ̉ͧͥ͡G͐̔ͪͭͮ͆̃҉̶̪̠̜̜͈̹̲̖̖͎̗̟̥͝ ̧ͨ̒ͧͨ̉͐̑̍̿̔͏̛̦̲̘̰̦̻̣͙̘͠͞n̡̞̰̙̟̘̥̩͔̾͌͐ͫ̋ͬ̄ͮͨ̒̀ͥ͆ỏ̸̆̈́͒ͩ͗̓͏̪̰͚͇͈̘̖̭̹̗͓͈͕̰̞͠͝ţ̴̨̠͍̬̱̞͔͓̜̱͓̝̼̭͕͖͂̈́ͮͥͯ̽ͮ̔ͭͮͫĥ̺͕̰̫̺̬̱̬͈̏ͥͩ̂̓͊̾ͤͫͩ̀̒̂͐̓̚̚͟͝͝i̴̍̓̆̉ͫ̐ͣ̂̿ͯͧͧ̈́͐ͫͧ̚̚͘͟͏̦̩̟̝̤͉̘̜̙̞̤̞̹̪̱͖n̡̡̢̻̩̬̦̬͙͉̤̮̑̿̉͑́ͩͮͤ̕g̸̡͚̮͓̪͚͓̥̦̠̞̫̅̒͊̌̄̇̂͂͆̋̄ͪ͋ͥ̔ͣ̚͝ ͛͑̐ͬ̓̌̎͜҉̩͚̳̹̙͖͓̥̘̜̯̰͙͚͚̰͘N̵̄ͫ͆͂ͨ̈̍́̿̍̉̂ͧ̇̾̅̍́͏̸̨̩̞̜͘O̸̢̔͂ͣͥ̈̓̓̈́ͬ͋͂ͭ̃̽̊ͥ͒ͬ͞҉͍͇̠̼͚͍͕̤̘͕̫̳̦̹̙͠T̛ͥ̀̄҉͈̘̜̘H̷͙̙̱̭̭̫͔͓͙̦̘̟̥̏ͯͥ̏͝͞͠Į̭̻͓̝̜͉̟͇̞̿̒̊͆̎̽ͭ́ͤͩͨͬ͗ͩ͘N̷̨̰̞̣̔̿ͨ͗͋̌ͨ̀̑̉͘͞ͅG̮͙̩̘̙̫̼̞̱̦̤͖̒͋̍̅ ̢̨͙̼̜͈̤̱͉̪̟̏̓̍̓ͮ͋͟͜͢n̑͒ͨ̅̇̐̉҉̭̗̠͉̠͈̯̱o̾̎ͤ̓̇̾ͮͣͣ̆̎ͭ̇͋ͥ͏̴̢̖̫̘͈̲̟͙̣̕͠t̒̃̊̉̇̒͌̌ͨͦͬ͏̡̳̗͎̣̮̙̺͙̺̪͉͔h̳̰̖̜̬̯̤̝̥̭͖̬̜̗̜͓̱̅͛͒̈́̑̋̀ͬ̿ͮ̽̓͆̃̄ͣ̚̕!̶̵̷͖͇̩̺͙͔͚̰͍͈̺̘̦̮̯͙̞͈͈͌ͭͣ́̀̆N̛͒́͊̊̔̔̎̽̊͟͟͝҉͚̭̯̞̳͙̥̟̞͈̞̝̙̰͕̜̤̮ͅG͌͋͑̅̅̌̈́̎҉̦̼̭̗͍͟͜ͅ ̵͈̼͕͇̫̦̆̂̿ͯͫ̌͋̐ͬͮͣͭ͟͝n̨͉̻̗̦̳̙̰̳̯͕̮̮͔̼͖̺̤̞̿̅̓̿̃̽̋̅̊͡͞ ̷̣̼̥̫̐̃̑ͤ̿͠ơ̡̹̘͇̟̜̬̦̺̬̬͎̤̪̻̱̠̖͂̃͂̆̈̚͡ ̴̢̧̮̼͓͇͉̥̬̳̟̖͔̅̽̐ͤ̇̔̊ͯ͌ͫͨ́̐͒̑ͦ̿t̨̢̫̻̤̟̫̪̻͈̝̠̬̗̻̱͈̀͗̅̈́̾̀͋ͦͨ̋h̏ͩ̋ͮ̍̃ͦ̃̒̔͢͏̦̘̫̼̤̠̗̩̯͟ͅḬ̶̷̙̜̯̝͕̞͕̯̟̦̙̥̯͓͇͔̜̰ͪ̏͋͋̃̈͑̀͆ͥ́ͪ̂ͮ͌̆̐N̵̸̜̖̩̠̣̪̉́̎͋̽͐̀̅ͦ̓ͯͤ͐̈́̎ͪ͆̕͜G̵̷̡̭̮̮̣̻͍̮̜̳̾̓ͪͦ̍ͫͬ͑ͮ̉̎̏̈́ͩ̈ͪ̾̚̚͢ ͨͮ͂ͬ͏҉̵͏̭̺͎̼̺̩͙͖͓̳͚̭̟̩̞̹̠̜͢Ǹ͚̫̹̼̂͛̓ͩ̋͒ͦ̂̋̀̆ͮ̇̓̚͢O̸͒ͧ̾͗̅ͩ̊̑̈́ͨ̐ͦ̀́̕͝͏̵͍͕͎̜͉͈̖ͅ ̧̯̟̦̬̭̟̩̙̱͊͆̇̽́͟t̵͓̳̼͚̲̟̬̗͋̋̌͋̐ͣͫ͐͆ͬ̉ͪ̄ͅhͮͮ̏̓̄̑̈́̿͏͕̰̞̮1̴̨̛̙͕̟͔̰ͦ̒́ͬ͗ͤ͛n͒͌͒ͥ̂ͫ̂ͤ̐ͭ̈́̅̃ͤ͟҉̵̫̪̹̤͔͎̭̳̰̭͝͡g̃͆͂̒͛ͣͪ͗̉̈̚͝҉̲̫͈̳̦̘̤̳̻͇̬̬͎̮̦ ̢̣͇̜̪̣̜̅̐̾͐̌͐̈̏ͨ́ͨ͋͐̓̀̋͘͟͟͠Ṅ̷̐ͩ͌͂̿͛ͩ̆͑ͯ̐͏̨̤̯̝̞͔̱͙̙͉̩̘̳̬͔͔ͅO̧̬͙̫̜̭͇̦̟̖ͨ̄̈́͐̆͠ͅŢ̝͓͖̯̃ͪ́ͮ̕͢H̵̛̬̱̼̜͕̲͖̻̦̫̟͙̻̭͓̖̙̀͗ͭ̐ͯ͐͜I̯̯͐ͬ̂̂͌̇͗͒̄̑͌̅̊͋̔ͥ̔͟͝͞ͅą̯̩͙̝̗̠͉̹̦̪͉̻͓̝̮͍̹̎̂ͫ̆ͨͩͩͤ͑̃̀ͪ̆͋ͭͦ͂ͫ͠n̴̸̛̮̬̙̟̣̱̳͎̤͉̲̩̥̫̼̆̃̌ͯ̓̅͒̈́̓̅ͭ̋ͣ͞͞ͅd̨̨̠͖̫̤̹̩̻̞͈̞̣̠̱ͪ̅̋̾͐̏ͫ͆ͣ̎̒̋̌ͧ̌̉̿ͤ͜͠ ̧ͩͨ̐ͨ̾̄ͦ̅̅̐̚̕͜҉̩̪̰̻̭̖̳͓͖̩̯͚͎̪̯̟̝̗͘i̷̛ͣ͒ͩ͒̊̉̽̽ͫ̀ͫ͋̽̌̚͠͏̧̪͇͖̟̠͈̰̭̠͍̬̫̦̝̬s̢͔̱͍͓̙̔̅̋̈ͫͦ͒ͅṇ̷̡̛̺̻̪̠͕͈͚͕̤̝̲̯̖̼̤̤̞͉͒̊͌̏͊̈́͒ͮ́ͫ̒'̵̷̵̢̣̼͕̙̘͈͓͔͍̏ͨ̾̾͛̈̊͑̂͡t̲̜̝̗̠͉̲̲̙̳̞̹̫̻̲̥̮͈ͩ̂̌̍̔ͭ͆̃̚͘͢ ̤͇̦̺̘̻̫̦̼͙̟̦̖̖͍̦͓̮̍̔ͣ̿̀̇͠i̧̡̧̥̮̹̘̟̞̤̟̮̬̜͙̥͎̾͌ͦ͊ͨ̓̆ͮ͒ͨͭͅţ̸̴̗̹̞̟͍͓ͩ̓ͣ̄̿ͨ͐ͮͥ͑͌͋͌ͫͯ͟ͅ ͣͧ͋͗ͪ̋̒̓̚͠͏͈̫̲̬̳͉̠͙̝̙͇͙ͅ ̨̳̙̥̔̾ͦ̿́ͩͮ̽ͬͣ́ͣ͘ẗ̵̸̜̞̞͎̻͇̠̰̫͖̋̉̒͊̓̈̃o̽ͥ̐̎̀̀ͦ̅͂̌̾͡͏̼̪͉̞̹͓̲̹̕ ̶̴̩͓̻̺͔̹̜͓͙̻̅̽̂̀ͮ̆̃̀ͥ͗̎ͩ̕f̳͎͇̣͎͎͑ͭ͐̅ͨ̚̕͟ŏ̸̴̝̗̳͉͓̲͑̉͆ͮ̀̃̆̓͌̿̔̓ͦͨ̋͢͡ŗ̷ͨ̃̾̕͏̺̝̤̣͇̣̝̥ͅg̴͒̇ͥ͐͒̓͏̣̟͔̟̥̜͉̟̦̹̣̦̭̻̹̥͡ę̵̹̥̭̮̩̦̜͓̺̹͈̲̪̩̺͕̼̭͐̃̔̿ͮ̔ͤ̎̃̎ͥ̋ͥ̓ͭ͑̚t̡͙̮̞̹̲̺̱̥͇̜̊ͨ̀ͫ̅͌͐̎̑̿ͣ͗̋ͥ͌͡ͅ ̛̻̹̹͚̩̯̏̍͋ͨ̃͊̄̇̈̇͗̚͜͜͡͠e͕̞̙̳͍͓͉̻̰͓͎͖͕̺̖͌ͥͬ͆̔͗ͭ̑͆͌̾̿̕͜͢͝ͅv̱͔͎̯̮̬̲͕̦͕͖̣͕̓̑̏̽ͯͬ̒͒̌͛͛͡ȩ̼̯̤̜̲̯̭̘̲͔̝̭͛ͩ̃ͪ̃̀ͦͨͬ̅͋̎̃̅ͮ̚͡ŗ̭̼̜͚͓̲̻̪̦̞̗̠͍ͫͧ͌̆͂̾̈́̌͑ͫ̈́̃̕y̵̤̬̟͎̪͈̖̖̳͙̥̦̋̓̍͋ͤ̚͠t͋̑ͥ͑͏̨̞̭̝͓͇̰̮̭̫̦͓̖̻̣͚̳͠ḩ̢̛̲͎̠̳͈̬̟̮͙͍̘͕̤͙̜͌̓ͦͩ͒̆͗͑̆͂̒͒ͣ̍ͮ͞͡ͅͅǐ̋̂ͤ͌ͭ̒͏̴̠͖̟̖̲̯͖̭̦̖͘̕n̷̸͙̲̞̯͈̺̪͉̗͎̲̰̻̯̝̠̉̍̒ͤ̓ͩ́ͥ͂͐͂ͯ͂̀̔̍̍̚͟͟ͅͅg̛͗̃ͩ̈́̒̃͜͠͏̼̫̦̝͙̦̭͙̩̪͚̪̻?̂ͣ́͆̍ͮ̄́̐͘͢͞҉̝̩͓̣̯̰͎̳͙ ̴͛ͬ͗̇͊ͮͬ̿͊ͪ̒͂͏̸͔͇͈̭͖̟͚̱̞͎̞̠̺͇̘ͅt̨̢̥͙̟͙̳̬͍̯̝̠̻̟̣̫͙̗͕̳͈̿͒̋̃̈́͛ͪ̑͌ͦͦͯ͗͒̈́̽̉o̴̾̀͑̋͒ͫ̇ͭ̆̂͐ͮ̇̚͠͏͓͇̭̘̪͔͚̬͍͈̘̠̣̞̠͇ͅ ̧̭͉̠̥̫̩͉̞̝͖ͭ̓̾͊̒̎̍͗̀ͯ̔̚̚͜ͅf̴̬̜̼͇̦̮̥͔̒̒́̽ͤ͊̃ͥ̔̾͂ͨ͆͟͟ͅo̴͚͈̳̹̳̯̗̤̔̌̎̍͋ͯ̓̍̇ͮ̇r͖͖͚̠̙̪͎̬͙̟͙̖̞̗̥͉̜͍̉̓̏̃̄͗̄ͮ͂́̏̉͊͑͐̒̌ͭ͠g̖̘͍͖͙̠̥͈̣̪̞̦̽̎̾ͭ͋͆̏ͬ̊̓ͤ̿̋̉͟͠͠e̷̥̪͙̳͍͚ͨ͐̑̈ͬͦ͌ͯ̓̅̏ͦ͘t͗͌̃ͯ̒ͥ͊̑͐͌̂̽͒̃͏̢̙̬͓͕̺̦̘̼͕̤ ̷̵̳̗̺̙̤̺͙͈̤͎̞̦̖͇̲̒ͧ̐́ͧͩ̂́̔̏̈̉͡ͅy̖̬͈̺͚̳͍̺̳̩ͧ͗͊ͤ̏͢o̡̬̩̯͎̾͊ͣͨ͂̎ͨͦͪ̃̉̅͗ͩ͗͊̂̚ŭ̢̻̹̯̹̯͈̤͕̻̭̫̠̣̦̃̆͒̿͒̎ͩ̓͒ͬ̆̓̒ͪ̚ͅr̷̸̢̟̙̦͓͒̌͐ͪ͗̂ͤ̿̀́͜͠ ́̽̔ͤ҉̴̴̤͈̣̤͓̞̩̯̗̦̘̬̩̼̼̜̣n̨̺̻̭̉ͦ̎̈́͊͒͒͌́͆̇̇̂̚̚͘͝å̃̿̓͊͒͐͐͆͆̆̋҉̟͎͕̘̪̳̜̩̖̥͜͟ͅm̉̄͗ͪ͗̂͆ͪ̈ͤ̒̔ͧͩ̾͟͡҉͕͈͕̱̗̬͈e̵̛̩̻͓̭̟͔̠̮͇͕͋̇͆̌̅͆̓̽̍ͤ̃͆͐ͣ̚,̢̲̭̗̝͙̭̭̻̙̪̥̜̱ͫͧ͌ͦ͒ͫ̄ͥ̈́̉̉ͯ͆̽ͥ̚͘͠͝ ̄ͪ̎̎̏͠҉̯̹͓̮̩̼̙̟̟̹͉͔̗̻͔͙͇ͅy̸̡̭̹̦̬̖͖̭̭͕̼̏͑͂̊ͪ͋ͩ͋ͭ͒͛͆ͭ͟o̿͑̑̋҉҉̯̝̠̣͉͚͓̖̳̖̟͢ư̬͕͍̬̝̩͈͚̘̗͉̻̫͙̥͈̼̺ͥ̂̍͋͒͊̓ͤ͋ͥ͌̀͡ŗ̗̩̟̪͖͓͖̣̼̖̠͙̺̩̭͈̫̟̭ͥ̅̓͟ ̸̵̇ͣ̃̒̊̔ͮ̓͊ͮ͑ͣ̐̓ͤ̐ͣͦ̌͏̮f̶̶̥̦̳͇̠̉̾̉ͫ͛̂ͩ͛̊͗ͧ͟r̀̅̃̏̋͒̄̍̒̿̿ͤͩͨ҉̵͕͇̮̰̬͖͙̘̟̮̪̻̦̤̪̤̙͢͝i̡̛̲͍̱̞̲̜̫̦̮̱̟͓͖̯̊͒͋ͪ̃̏ͭ̈͋͡ḙ̛͚̳̖̞̺̤͓̗͚͇̭́ͫ̊̏̍͝n̶͍͓̮͕͈̬̘̬̳̜̳̗̙̗̑͌̆ͪ̍̑̀̑̒̽̉̋̌ͬ̀̆͡͞d̹̥͕̜̭̭ͣ͐͗͑͗̑ͭͤ̚̕ͅṡ̹̥̣̣͉͎̳ͭ͑̔̉̾͡ͅͅ,̡̛̞̜͔̣͚̞͙̦̼̣ͣ͂̏ͫ̃ͪͭ͛ ̶̖̭̯̺̜̩̩ͨ̏̎ͦ̄̎ͣ͘͝yͩ̎̇̀̂ͧ̍ͫ̍ͯ̾ͨͪ̚͟҉̸̛̲͕͉̜̝̻̯̻̞̠͓̗ô̸̦͙̠͔̼̣̩̼̊̋̓̽ͨ̒͒ͣͧͨ́̋̓ͭ̚ů̵̹͎͓̹̻̩̟͎̯̫͙͉̣̗̫̟̭̜͍͑̃̔́̒ͯ̍̓̋ͯͨͧ͛ͧ͑̿̕͢͜r̶̨̪̣̹̀ͮ̇́ͮͪͬͧͧ͛̄͆̊̄͟͝͞ ̷̸̧̱͎̳͈̻̻̫̙̪͎̲͇̦͍̭̥͚̔͋̀̐̿ͩ̚̚̚͟ͅͅl̸̠̥͍͍̹̖͈͍̖͇̩̟̣̝̼̊̃̐͊̀̋̏ͫ̒̎͗͢o̎̈͒̌ͤ̎͆ͮ͂͒̏̄̅́̀ͬ̕͡͠҉̖̬̟̗̞̺̫̞̖̟̻͓v̴͎͙͚̗͎̜̩̘̝͖̼ͯ̒ͣͧͮ͋͋̍̈́̃͗ͥ̓̇̎ͦ̏͑͋̕͡͝ͅȩ̵̡̛̠̰̮͙̖̘͚̯̯̭͍͉̹̣͗ͮͦ̔ͫ̋̊̽ͪ̊͋͠?͌̑̅͛ͮ̋ͧ̑ͮͫͮͥ̕͏̬͍͔̺̺̜̘̖͇̪̻͇̤̜ ̡̩̘̤͇̗̮̞̿̐ͭ̽̒͐͛ͪͬͮ̽̽ͥ͒̆͞ͅf̛̫̩̲͖͊̎̏̆̿̐͂ͮ̔̊̍̄͌͞o̧̜̼̹̰̗͙̼̭̩̟͍̳̓ͤ̇̈́͒ͪ͂̓́̿̓̅̉ͥ͝r̸̳̺̲̞͈̥̺̲̺̐ͯͣ̇ͫ͜g̶̥̹̫̖ͯ͑̃͋͋̊͐̓ͩͬ̑ͣ̚e̢͚̤̤̭̱̫̫̤̺ͦ̈́̽̌͒͒̃ͥ̕͟t̷̶̛̮͈̙͍͇͋̀͗́̓ͮ̑̓̊̾ͪͮ̚̕͜ẗͬ͒̓͑͒ͥ͐ͯ̀͑̏̽ͧ͆̈́̚̚҉̸̹̘̪͉͎͎͘į̭͓̥̣̩͓̤̳̭̜̙͎̫̩͍̥̻͑̆̀ͯͦͧͧ̿͒̆͋͡ͅn̷̡͍͍͈͖̖̱̱͇̞̬̱̥ͫ̍̊ͧͬ̑ͧ͒͒͛̇̌͊̆̽͂͋̾͘ͅģ̸̛̺̦͚̭̫͚̖̬̤̬̱̭ͣ̾ͤ̀ͭ̐͑̑̃̇̍̈͒ͥ͘ ̴͇̫͈̳͎̟͍͓͚̙̩̗̦̭̿͌̆̈́̄͛͒ͧ̇̐̍̍́̚̚͠wͯ̓͂̈̇̎̐͐҉̞̻̥̪̳̟̯͉͇͝a̷̧̱̱̠̋̿̂̊̃̃̽͐ͤ͐̇̓̌̕ͅsͮ͒ͬ͆̊ͣͤ̎̄̔̓ͦͮ̄̉ͧ̚͏͜҉̦̳̘͈̬̼̤͙̲͓͔̦ ̸̡̼̬̟̗̳͓̈́̔́ͥͯ̃͑̃ͧ̾̍͊̅̋̆̐̓̚͜͟͠o̧͉̰͇͍͉̪̫̥͓̝̯̼͊̉͒̈́ͩ͌̋̈́̏̕̕͟ͅͅͅw̸͚̼̫̤̞̙̝̮̼̥̉͐ͮ̐͗ͭ̚͠ę̛̟̳͇͚̺ͫͫ̂ͦ̉̆̃ͧ͒͊͑̔ͭ̉͞͡r̴̢̼̲̲̥̦̻̭̩̘̻ͫͧͮ̆ͯ͆̉́ͮͅ,̈́ͩͮ̌̿͞͏̩͉̺͙̲̖͓͓͖͙̩̝͇̺̬̹̪ ͎͈̣̳̟͎̦ͬ̒͆̔̏̌ͪ̿̀̚͞͞m̴̱̝̰̰̟͚̫͓͙͇͙͖͐̋̊͋y̴̡̞͍̹̱̝͂̈ͭͫ̉̅ͨ̒̚͢ ̀̊̇͂̏͐̐͆̄ͭ͛̊s̭̖̝͕̗̞͙̺͉̳͍̲̱̳̬̹͙̟̅ͦ̀͆ͮ͆͢͝t̷͒̋̒ͭ̿̓҉̘͚͉̗͈̰͈r̨̨̟̰̜͓͕̞̣͉̜̜̖̣͚̗͓͊ͪ̄ͪ̑̐̇̔͌̄̂ͬͨͬ͌̚͡e͖̺̠̲͍̪͍ͯ̇͑͌͗͐́͆́̔̇̇ͣ͛̈̐͞n̵̨ͣ̃ͧ̀̈́̓ͧ̆̐̉̃ͮ̀҉͈͇̤̩͉̝̯̲̪͈͔̙g̶̭̳͈̟̻̥͙͓̦͇̲̜̳͉ͬ̒ͬ͌̇̂́̾ͤ̾̐̒͘t̶̵̟̻̮̹̓̋̊ͣ̑ͭ͂͊́̌̕h̵̯̥̝̺̼̖̮̳̦͊͋̅ͤ̍̋̑̐͛̄̒ͯ,ͮͫ̏ͮͧ̓ͪͫ͒͗͌̓ͨͤͯ͑͠҉̡͏̶͙̘̱̞̱͚̜̱ ͂͒ͨͯ̓̈́̾̂ͬͦͮͬ͗͌́͜a̾̐͗̆͑̄͐̃̈͆̍̾̓̏ͩ҉̢̯̲̯͖̖̘̮͇ͅn̷̨̢͎̟̲͍̦̖̮̬͙̳̟͓̥̺̪͇̅ͪ̌̎͆̃̒ͯ͗̍̽ͤ͋̇̅͞ͅḍ̷̬̮̣̖͉͚̯̖̗̫̬̘̥͌̎̅̃̒ͨ͘ ̅͂̓̊̐ͮ̆̌͏̴̵̧̤̘̝͓̼͕̦̫͎r̷̷̡̢̹͙͕̤̞̫̻̰̺̬͖̳̳̻̮̮͐̓̏̀ȩ̷̢̜̠̣͎̰͍̞͈̪͚͖̼̖̻̝͓̩͗̌̏̽̈̂̕͢m̝͓̲̺͍̳̓̌͗ͯ̎̐̉ͩ̇͆̃͂̚͘͘͘͜͝e̴̴͕̠͔͈͕̘̩̗͍̾̐͗͂̑̇̿ͤͨͤ͌̊͗͐̒̐̾͠m̷̾̿̂͒̑ͦͫ͒͝͏̦̬̗̭̼͇͎̝̞̪͚̠͈̦͕̲b̢̢̹̮͈̤̘̳ͫͨͯ͋̍̿ͣ̉ͦ̾̓ͬ̌̌̚͞͝ͅr̛̊̾͆̎ͭ̎͊̓̅ͬ̎̈̍̓̚͘͠҉͙̼̖̜̻̳̭̻͙å̜̻̪̞͕̗̘̘̪̠͕͔͕̈́̍̊͟ṅ̵̤̭̗̙͎̲̞̯̠͈̥̹̘̠̜̻͛ͪ̕c̛̘̳̞̣̖̳̞ͤͯ̇̾̅̌͡ě̷̛͇̹̳̮͇͙̰͈̭̱̗̼̾ͤ̓ͫ͌̃͛̈̿̕͜͝ ͇̗͔͖̫̞̘̻̦̥ͮ͌̎̌ͫͥͯ̊ͥ̓ͣ͋ͧͨͦ̊̏̚͠͡ͅw̶̩̝̹̲͚̞̣̭͍̹̌ͪ̓̐̚͞͞a̎̃ͦͪ̃̈́̅̉ͯ͊͗̓̊҉̵̤͙̹̖ş̳̰̱̝͖̻̼͉̠̺̲̹͓̠͙̈ͤ̎ͬ͐͌͊͋ͧ̅̄̀̕͢ͅ ̶̺͙̜̜͕̙͍̙̤̥͎̟͎͔̮̳͓̝̟́̏́̑̂ͯ͛̿̔̂͌͜h̡͕̭̙̗͓̯̟̺͎̰͎̠̦͙̟̱̙̅̊ͨ͐̉͊ͤ̕͞i͎̻̻̣̰̙̩̹̠̭̺̻ͧ̔̾ͣ̉ͩ̎͑ͪ̃̈́̓ͦ̕͜͝s̘̺͙͙̝̭̦̎ͩ͑ͦ͋ͨ̓̾͑͘̕.̨͖͕̥̥͇̞̟͈̬͖̀ͨͤͭͤ̅̂ͬͪ̌ͨ͠ͅ ̶̸̵̬͍͉̟̬̝̟͙̝̫̓̋̓̓ͤ͑̋ͭͫͮ͌͜͡ą̏ͯͨ̏͘͏̯̬̲͖ṉ̷̗̳̯̣͙̄̌̊ͨ̕͡d̡̨̢̩̹͎͉͓͎̠̙̘̥̬͎̺̘̼̱͕̋͐̑͊̑ͥ͋̏͛ͤ͒̔̒̚ ̵̮̟̟͈͔̦̻̫͚͖͖̠͊͋͊̑ͮͫͣ̇̐͆̉̓̅͑̏ͭ͒ͬ̚͘͠ş̧̻̱̺̻̘̮̱̯͕̳̭ͭ͂͂̐̎̐͋͋́ͨ̈́̀ͧ̄͗͊̈̐͜o̧̧͙̲͈͕̣͔̱̦̦̭͌̒ͯ̉ͫ̔͗̈́͂ͭͫ̄͘͟͝ͅ ̵̶̬̲̲̥̩̟̲̭͈̜̥͎̼̜̬̿̇̿͆͜w̶̟͙̝̠̙͇ͤ̒͂͑̋̄̚͝e̫͕̫ͫ̀̌̌ͧ̎ͨ̊̎̀̆ͯͪͮͩ̓ͥ̕͡ͅ ̧̨̹̖̦̥̪̺̭͎̘̪͈͇̠̫̩̣̻̞ͥ̉̋̐ͪ͋̿̄ͯ̎ͨͨ͑̒̽͒ͧ͘͞f͆͑͆͛͋̈͏͝҉҉̗̠̭̫ő̢͉̬̹̖̜̟̜͍̲̐̓̔ͤ̕ư̸̶͙̙̻̙̳̣̺̼̳̻̦̗͕͎͍̳̟̫̎͊ͩ͗́͑̒̾̌̽ͯͯ̓̈́͑ͫ̓͝ͅg̐ͨ͌̂̉ͬ͊̓͛̐̍͗̂̋̾҉̴̡̰̝̮̹͉̭͓͞ͅh̸̛̟̰̠̼͍̜̝͈̙̲̲̥̓̏̈́̅ͧ͑́̐̇͋̏ͩ͊͗̚͘̕͞t̶̸̪̹̲̬̫͔͍̘̳͉̲̗͕̹̪̹̲͍̊̆̄ͨͅ ̶̗͈͎̠̼͔̎̏̽̇̀ͤͯͨͦ̋t̩̗̜̫͚ͭ̎̋̾̋͐̾ͭͮ̑͟͡ͅȏ̵̩̝͙̼̫̪̟͕͖̟̙̗͓͛ͮ͒̋͌̑̀ͨ̽̉͆̔ͤ͑̔̚͢g̶̫̘̻̥̯̝̟̠̙̟̰̓͒ͪ̒͂͂͋̌̋͟͞e̡̞͍͎̗͓̖ͣ́̓̎̍̃̏t̶̢̮̪̲͖̪̝̱̳͉̭͎͉̺̱̊̑̌̇͆ͯ̿̔̎̎͟͡͞h̴̢̧̳̳͉̣̮̣̠̙̤̲͖̦͙̋ͣ͌ͯ͒̄̐̋e̵̯̞͍̟̤̝͉͔͍̮̳̊̓ͯ̓ͥ̋ͫ̒̾̑̈́͐ŗ̸̛̞͖̫͓̱̱̮͍̮̟͈̙̓̍̆͌̆ͨ͆̄̆̋̽̃͂̌ͯ̍̚,̛͉̘̰̘͇͚͎̦̞͒̐ͯ̐ͬ͟ ̵̸̸̲̻̙͎̥̱̗̖͓͖̞̎ͪͣͧͨ̉͘e̢̫̹̜̹ͬͥ͆͑̈͛̈́̽͌͟t̴̵̨͉̥̰̥͓̖̥̖͔͙̮ͫͨ̄̿ͦͬ̔̊̓̄͌͆̆̔͐̚͜h̶̨͌̊̓͝͏̱̪̞̻̬͕̭e̒̃̋͗̿̿͐̒̆̍̋̉̐̏͢҉͔̗̭̯͚̦̣̺̼̪ ̵̨̢͇͉̺̟̣ͪ͑́̋ͧ͂̃̊ͤ̌͊͑̅á̴̵͕̦̝͇͖̬̉̍ͨ́͒͊ͬ͌͒̆͜ṉ͔̠̼̙̰̬̟̙͚̀ͭ́͑ͫ̊͆͂ͭͭ͝ͅdͦ̔̆͋ͭͦ̂̂ͦ҉̷̜̣̠͈̳̺̖͙͙͙̪̬̺͚̺͞ ̖͓̱̥̾̈ͦͩ̓̐̑͗̐͂̇̓̆͂ͮ͘͠m̄ͪ͊ͮͩ̐̔ͪ̇͂͐̌͒̿̇ͦ̈́͏̷̢͚̣̝̰͇̬̺̹̟̞̮̬̼̬͖͇̗͟͟ͅͅn̷̷͔̞̪̫̞̱͍̲̙͙͈͔͙̳̘̯̳̻̺̍͆̐͋̊͆͛͆ͥ͑͝ȩ̴̮͔͓͙̞̼̮̯̦͖̱̠̬̘̜͇͈̙̈́ͩ̊̌ͫ̆͗ͬ̊̃̄̒̏͆m͌͛ͤ́̅ͮ̋ͩ̎ͦ͏͙̯̻̭̬̗̤͠ö̶͊̓ͬ̂̑ͬ͊̌̋̏̑̚҉̷̢̻̱͎̹̻͇̦̠̱s̛̽̀̂̐͌ͦ̐̑͛̽̄̔̃̍̉ͯ͋͆ͤ҉̞̩̞͙y̵̷̢̡̥͈̪̥̝̟̼̟͔̦̼͙̞̳̗̲̬̓̌̎̽͂̿ͪ͂ͮ̎̔̔͊͒ͨ͜n̵̶̥̣̖͔͍̣ͣͥ́ͩͪ̇̒̌ͥ͐e͋ͣ̒͑͌ͯ́͏̨̜̼̭͈̖̝͈̭̠ͅ,̷̵̢̖̫͖̭̉̈͗̉̆ͫ̆̐͐ͧͭ̓̊ͨ̚͜ ̷̡̣͔͈̫͇̳͓͓̖̠̗͇͉̺͇̮̯́̌ͨ͐̔͋͐ͦ̽̿̐̈͢͜͝rͩͣ͑͗̊̑̋̍͊̇̈ͯͪ̇͜҉̸̩̭̖̣̠͔̙͡ę̡̘̦͈͎̗͍̠ͯ͐̄ͦ́̊̐̂ͮ͊ͦ̓̕͞aͯͣ̃̒̈̍̈̎̍̓҉̨͓̞͖̟l̷̷̢̡̘̝̺͖̝͉̦̜̗̲̬͓̪̅̈́ͥ̎̀ͣ̔̀͋̾̋̑̊̐͗̒͑̂͝ͅͅï̶̧͓̖̣̟̤̱̜̬̩̘̤̺̮̃̾̅ͮͫ̑͢t͚̱̙̮͎̼̭̗͓͉̬̱͎̫̥̫̳ͧ̆́̚͞y̶̟̩͇̠̞̘̱̖̖̠̖͖̯͚̬͛̏ͮ̀ͥ̉ͦ̌̇ͣ̒̄͑̽̚͟ ̸̶͖̫̦̯͎̹̱͙̼͍̥̲͊̐̑̉͢a̜͚̬̫̥̼̣͖̠̥̱̲͔͓͍̹͓͒̈̈́ͨ͋͂̽͘͜ͅn̜͇̞̭̟̽͂͐̈͒̕d̨̡͍̬̱̳͉̤̐̈̾̈́͒̕͞ ̔͊ͯ͑ͫ̀̑ͧ̃ǐ͌̒̑́ͦ͘҉̜͓̜̩͓̱͓͙͢ḻ̴̴̺̪̺̠̘̇͆͂̌̑̈́̀͜͟l̴̢̠̥̙̝̫̼̠͔̤̜̙͇̒̀̈́ͥ̾͋͊͊̈̾̂ͭ̋͆̽͐͢ͅù̸̴̳̮̬̳̞̈̓ͮ̓͂͌͂͌̉ͥ̽͛̈̌ͩ͐̊̚ͅs̴ͭͯ̔̈̋̔͐̎̑̈̿͌̊̽́́͐͗҉̗̮̗̝̤͙̜͖͔̬̯͟ĩ̹͍̤̳̜̊̐̑ͫͬ̌͒ͬ̊ͯͦ̔̔̈́͌͘͘ơ̜̭͎͕̲͉͓̟̘̫͇͚̙̫̪̆̇ͯͨ̅͒n̴̠̹̘̦͒ͮ̾̽̑̏̚͢s̸̶̗̥̺̼͉̲͚͔͙̭̬̤͉̜̙̯̔ͧ͊̎ͬ͑͟͝͞,̴̢̡̳̺̪͕̬̣̮͖ͧ͂͗̄̔̆̆͒̉͌͛͒̏̈́͐̍ͫ͢ ̸̟̪̬̰͈͖͓̙̦̮̒ͨ̃̈́̍ͮͮ̊̈́̉ͤͪͬ̾̃͐̓͢͡ḫ̶̸̹̰̗̬̜͔͙̪̣̱̲͓̱̺͎ͤ͋̈́͌ͣ̆̀͒̓̉̆ͦ̕ọ̶͇͎̩͔̘̭͓̞̘͚͚̥̦̬̣̰̖͌̏ͭ̆ͭͭͨͯͪ͂̉ͦͧ͒͝ͅm͑ͤ͂ͭ͞҉̧̤̟͇̘͇͙ͅe̛͈̥͉̟ͬ̒͒̋̑ͦ̉̚̕͢ ͆͆̽̒̉͂͟͏̴̷̖͎̪͚̳̣̪a̤̯̠̫͍̻̭̱̼̼̬͛̈ͦ̈̚͘͠͠ͅņ̸̧̨̺̻̦̝̝̩̟͈͚͈͚̭̦̜̟͓̲̜̮͐̂ͧ̾͋͂ͯ̐ͤͮ̚dͯͤͥͮ͏̨̭̲̗͔͈̜͇̙̙͕̮͕̤͜͠ͅͅͅ ̡̜̭̘̬̳̗͕͔̦̤̼͇̰̘̑̌̓͐̽ͣ͗͊̌̊̽̓ͪ͞ͅḧ̸̡̺̗͎̣͈̳̫̳̩̯̮̞̱̦̩͇́ͥ͂ͮͭ̎ͣ̋̀̀ͯ̓͡e̸̷̴͎̹̫͚͉̻͔̱̗̥͈ͩ̊̈̂ͧͪ̎̈́̌̔̿͗ͯ͂͌̂̚͞ͅͅa̡̗͉̲̞͇̠̮̱̋ͩ̿̅̃ͪ̍͊̈́ͬ̔̅ͬͣ͢͜͞r̫̩͕̰̞̗̭̫̯̺͎̝̹̙͍̦͎ͮ̊ͧ̾͋̑̎ͦͥ̾̑̎ͣͬͤ̕͜͢tͦ͆̆ͥ̔̍̂̽̓͋ͯͥ̏ͤͫͭ͘҉̺̲͔͙̹̜̫̯̘̤̝̦̖̰̝̺ͅḩ̺͖̼͙̇̋̐̅͗ͭͥͮͫ͋͐̕͜,̻̻̠͈͍͈͇͇̣̱̥̮̟̼̤̃̍ͭ͜͝͡ ̢̍̏͆̊ͥ̅ͨͮͯ̒̉̂̚̚͏̻̤̠̜͇͕̣̮͎̳̰s͊ͨ̔̑̒ͫ͆ͣ̊ͪͩͥ̍͏҉̸̪̖͕̗̣̙̲͘t̛́͐͊̓ͯ̇ͤ͒ͧ̓͏̠̩͎ͅȓͨ̿ͯ̿̉̊͆̓͏̡҉̸̘̜̭̩̣̹͉̥̫̳̤̹̖͖̯̤̯̩͓͘e̵̷̵̤͚̝̖͎̱͔̲͖̯̺̫̪̪͔̱̼ͫ̏ͬͧͪ́͋n̸̹͚͓̺̠͓̹͙̹̱̪̼̗͎̪ͥͭ̇ͯ̓̒ͪ̍̂̌̏ͣ͛̄̈̾͠͞ͅg͗̓̏ͬ͒͌́̉͛ͨ̓͐̓͒̎҉͏͉̫̠̣̘͍̪̬̹̻̖̹͍̙̘̥̼͍ͅt̘̥̥̹̀ͨͨ̇ͦ̓ͥͦ͘͠h̭̻̘̯ͦ̔̉̑̿̒ͣͩ̓̋͡͝ ̶̧̲͇̺͉̰͍̤̪̰̟͊͂̇̈́̐̒ͮͧ̓͟͞a̡̛͓̟͍̖̹̜̪͔̋ͨͭͯ͋͛ͦ́̑̆ͦ̒͆̚n͚̜̺̰̜͈̬̣͗ͪͧͫ̑̈͐͐ͬ̆̒̎ͩ͊ͤ͒ͬ͜͞d̶̶̢̻̭̱̺̥͔̻̥̯͇̲̙͈̭͙ͮ̈́ͪ͌̋̏͘ͅ ̵̡̧͈̬̠̗̞̪̰̻͔̼̩͔̠̙̝̙̖̄͂͆ͪ̒̒̾̒̇̌̒͊ͦ͋̚͢͠ͅc̷̶̡͈̟̬̪̫͇̬̰͖̗͍̮̞̳̤͌̈́̓̎ͧ̑̀ͫͮ̈͌ͮ͂̂͌͠ǫ̪̰̼̩̞̰̥̩̣̗͈̹̦ͨͫ͑ͫ̅͆̍́̈̒̐ͅų̷̛͎̠͓̜̤̘͔̭͕͚̰͈̟̞̣͙̤̮̌ͥͮ̓͒͊̉ͤ͐̾̍̅͛̿̏͊̈́ͅŗ̴̴͇͙̗̤͙̃ͨͭ̐ͯͨͣͤͦͧ̒̋̽̇ͦͩ̚̚ͅá̵͈̘͈̥̖̞̦̈̌͆̋̔ͩg̨̢̺͖̗̦̬̖͕̲̦͚̰͓̩͕͕͙̖̬̔͛ͤͬ̐ͨͅẹ̵̴̰̝̟̪̻͎ͫͮ̓̏̌ͬ͆̎̔ͫ̃.̸̶̙̲͇̼̞̣̗̳͕̘̦͇̭̝͕̣̻̻ͫ̂̄̍̆ͨ̎̈̿ͣ͛̍̑̊̚͜ ͌̐ͣͩ̆̓̔͊͐̃̃̾̔͒͑҉̶̰̩̦̟̦̯͎̖a̢͎̠̪̦̝̪̗͕͉̳͔͑ͭ̋͋͗̀̎͑̌̾͑̓̌̚n̫͇̫͓͉̻̖̘͇̯̞̭ͪͫ̈́̐ͨ̓̌̇ͭ͌̔̋͗̆̃̽ͥ̏͠͞d̸̡͍̼̝̗̭̼̱̳̓ͧͤ̆̕͞ ̶̢̛̻̩̜̝̤͎͇̝̝̙̰͈̙̰̉̆̽̽̄͐͐͑̚ȟ͈̟͖̲̦̦͇̻̤̻̼ͪ̾ͧͫͩ͜͞e̵̶̢̛͈͓͚̖̖͇͐̔̈́̀̉͋͆͋͋̇̍ͩ̂̃ͭ̐̆̍̍͝ ̶͖̳̺͖̝͙̌͒ͦ̏ͥͮ̍̎̈́̐̓͘̕m̧̠̥̜̰̠̮̖̰̄̔ͤͣ͠ȩ͒ͦ̏ͫ̒ͪ͐ͣͭ͏̱̘̤̼̯̘ȃ͋ͪ̎ͨͫ͝҉͇̲̖̯̜̣̮͉̩͙̻̟̝͇̱n̢̤̖̗̙͔̘̙̮̬̈́ͩͩ̏̋̔̋̆̀̔͝t̴̡̼͍̳̤̬̾ͯ̂̾͒ͅ ̸̙̣͈̩̥͖̻̗̜̈́̒̋̋̔̂ͨͨ̋̇ͣͫ̒̔̊̉͊̚͡ͅṭ̵̷̮̻͍͎̜̰̩̭̜͍͇̞͂͌̓ͪͦͮͥ̓͗ͧ̐͌ͤ̿͌͛ͪ̚̚̕h̨ͬ̇̄̋̋̈͛̾̈́͛͛ͨ̆ͬͯͬ͐ͩ̿҉̰̹̟͖̮̻̻e͐͆̉̅̔ͦ́̑ͩ̚̚͘͠҉̢̧̳͙̻͉̻̙̙̳̭̤͚͕̙͉̮͍̹̯ͅ ͫ̂͆͋͆̊͛̋͋ͩ͞҉̫̙̖͓̙̦̩̪͚̗̙͙̬̞̮̣͠ͅͅẃ̷̹̠̲͙͙̹̞̼̣͇ͨ̎͗ͤ̃̾͒ͧͅȍ̷̸̈́̎̒͠҉̛͉͙͖̖͓̦̣r̡̜̤̠͉͙̘̗̬̗̯̈́ͮͩ̽̿ͦ̌͝͝͞͡l̶̵͍͍̤ͫ̓ͩ̕͝d̛ͮ̋̒̎͆͠҉̙̲͍ͅ ̷̲̯̦̘̱͇̟ͪ̊̋̌̔͛͒̑ͧ̓͛ͫ̎̄ͪͯ͊̍͟͡t̡̡̻̰̘̭͐̍̽̍̅͛ͦ̕ͅǫ̺̪̺̃͑̌͌̒ͨ̐ͭ̎͟ ̒̃̋͒̂̃ͭͨ҉̴̴͓͚̪̩̟̝̼̝̯̻͕̞̞̻̥̲͠m̸̢̨̤̗̦̖̘̻͕̦̲͖̱̹̟̺̅̓ͦ̐̉̉̋ͬ͌̍ͮ͡͝e̡̡̙̞̲͚̳͕̮͉͚ͤ̋̏ͬ̒ͧ́ͯ̓͋ͫ̆̓͋̽ͤ̔͟ ̸͇̫̫͈̟̬̮̪̲ͪͨ́ͪ̾̓ͦͪ̉ͤ̇̓͡ͅ-̲̟̲͚͍̠͚̞̱̯̹̗̠͈̝̰̲̪̈͌ͭͤͬͨ̂̃̅̃̐̓͛͛̿ͭ̈́͟͢͟ͅ ̲̤̭̝̩͙̖̳̪̦͍͚͎̬̲̙̤̖̿ͣ́̐̌̕͟͞h̴͎̩̲͚̟̙̙̭̳̱̫͙̹̰͔͍̑̈ͣͤͣ̓͛̇̈̑̔ͧ͊̉͠͡ě̶̠̺̜̞͉͖͛̓ͫ̂ͧ͂ͦ̈́ͭ̃͌̏͗ ̦̲̟͖̣͚̳̪̞͈̜͍͓͋̑̆ͫ̋͢͢s̵̳̳͔͔̦̗̹̤͑̈́ͧͬ̊ͫͥ̃͌ͬ͝ͅā̸ͥ͂̌̈́͒͟҉̬̼̣͕͓̳̝̪͢v̵̡͉̙̥͓̪̲̲̟̥̟̠̼̰̙̝̦͍͈͛̆̈́ͩĕ̛̳̺̹̪̙̝̤͓̰̪̟̪̰̙̟̯͇̳̖̔̿͌̍ͧ̔̄̚̕d̘̜͚͉̥̯͕̭͉̘̫͌͛̃ͭͨ̽̌ͬ̏̂̽ͮ̚̚ ̌́̎̊͜͢҉҉̯͔̼̗̯͍̜͔̼̝̖̝̼mͥ̃ͩ̓͗͐ͯ̌̅̆̋ͯͭ҉̶̴̨̛̜͓̬͙͍͕̝̬̞̤͔̫̯̤̘̜̝͔e̷̮̻̣̥͇̟̺̼̦͓̲͖̠̯̟͕̙̩̐̎͆̐͊̐̑́ͦ͂͝,̸̧̡͉͎͉̪́ͭ̄̔͑̊ͣ̾̈́̽̾͂ͩ̇ͤ̔͠͝ ̵̶̢̞͖͍̞̰̩͚͈͑̐̓͟͡m̶̴̝̤̫̗̥̼͇͇͈̃̇̀͋o͎̤̱̪͓̭͎̒̀̂̅ͤͯ̋ͦͩ̔̄͑ͪ̚͜͠r̶̨̨̝̮͓̻̻̬̻͇͇͎͚͓͉̾̓̈̄̀͑ͭͥ̕ͅẽ̶̴̛͈̦̺̞̠͕̞̼̲̱ͫ̾̒̍̿̅̑̚̕ ̛̪̪̪̭̱̩͉̱̻͖̬͓̻̮̫̮̔͂ͧ̍͆̓̓̆ͤ͆̚͞ę̵̛̲̘̬̬̤͙̠̫̙̪̑ͫͤ̈́ͤ̑̊ͭ͟ͅṃ̶̶͈̤̳͚̭̱̜̍ͫ̌̆̆̾ͨͥ̔̉ͧ̕͞o̷̧̨̖̪͚̟̻͍͍ͯ́͊̉ͥ̔ͭͪ̒͑̓̎̔͐͢͜t̴̾͒ͨͣͮ͏̠̫̦̯̞į̪̝̩̙̫̆͗̓ͭ̏̊ͬ̅̔ͤ̍ͬ͜͡ǫ̡̳̗̮̺̬͓͇̋̾ͨ̒̿͋͋ͥ̾ͧ̆ͧ̌ͧ̔̍̆̾͜n̓̈́̍ͦͫ̍͒̃̓̆̓̉̂ͩ̓̑̆ͪ͏̘͇̮̤̥̻̣͍͉̻͔̻̤̙̰̘͕̩͘ą̧͈̮͉̘̦̥̜͔̣̫̹̩̜̟͈̈̂̓ͦ́ͩ̅́l̵̥̩̞̝̺̠͗̉̈́̈́̔̅ͫ̉̌̊̍̃ͯͪͭ̔̌̚ľ̶̨̨̛̞̙͍̳̫̗̞̼̫͖̖̳̠͖̱̓̆ͮ̾͋ͣ͒̿̀̌̑y̵̵̦̮͔͙̙̤̰͎͇̖̜͍͒͌̄ͤ̉̆͋ͪͯ̊͒͌͂ͫ̏̓͟͠ ̜͙̜̖̠͈̳̟̞͇̹̣̱̞͕̣̥̲͇̿̇̑ͦ͛̋͢t̶̫̥̫͉̦̟̟̰̜̩̍̑̾ͨ̄͆̎ͫ̋͐ͩ̌̑ͤ̇ͦͫ́̚͘̕͞h̶̴͇̘̞̘̳͆ͥ́ͮ͆́̑̂̔̚ḁ̵͉̗̜́͛ͦ͌ͮ͢n͂ͭ͛͑͆ͨ͗̊̌̽̾̏̇͟͡͏̠̭͓̝͍̩̪̫̺̺̫͚͚̣̬̞̱̳̝͘ ̾ͩ̾ͬ̄͌̀̅͗̀̇̔̅̐̾̊p͐ͧͥ̊̍ͤ̿́͝҉͉̻̰̱͉͔̫̗̳͕̻̳̞̳͉̭̝̤͡h̊̽ͯ̽ͦͣ͘҉̢͈̟̪̺̭͎̙̹͎̙͡ỵ̷̨̠͙͈͊̓̒͋̓ͨ͋̓ͫ͋ͩͧͧ̔̄͜s̴̴̖̩̲̝̜̟͙̳̦͉̯̰͖͕̥ͬͨ̐̍̔ͦ͐̔͂̾͊͂̈́̈́͒͢͢i̴̷̢̨̫͇̻̞̣͙̺̞̯̩̪͈͇̤̦̙͆ͦͭ͌͂ͩ̃̿̋̎̈͐̅̋͜c̸͚̱̯͍͓̠̳̤̘͖̥ͣͩ͗ͤ̓ͦ͌ͫͭͧ̌ͭ͗̒ͫ̚͜͠a̴͇̙͓͕̐̐̊̏ͨ̏ͩͧͬ̋͒̾l̢͕̪̞̩͚̠̹̞̰̟̱͋̈̾ͩ͒̒ͦͭͫ̃ͦ̈́̐̊̔̋͊͆͢ͅl̵̙͚͉̝̬̼̓̍͗̌̂̔̑ÿ͍͓̗͎̠̪́͌̐ͤ̉ͨ͆ͫ̈̉̃̾ͭ̒ͥ̐͡͞ͅ,̰̣͈̻̫̬͍̪̤̥͇̜͚͎͛̿ͣ̌̈ͤ̿̄͐͌̌͋͋̑̄ͬ̊͢͞ ̮̝̠̪̝͔̙̯̹̱͎ͭ̽͑͆͘͠fͬ̋̓̔̄ͨ̒̕͠͏̦̜̪͓͕͓̹͍̰̘̹͢ŗ̸̘̫͙͇̤̼̣̘͖̩̗͓̥̟̈͛̋ͣ̔̒̓͊̐͂ͩͮ̎̃ͨ̽ơ̸̢̳̟̹̙̞̹͐͆̓ͩ͑͊̓̓͘m͙͚̖͉̞̲̥̖͚̙̜̦̳͔̹͗ͮ̆ͥͤͩ͛ͩ͊ͦ͗͑̄̅ͥ̈̌̓̕͠ ̸̴̺͕͔̮̌ͦ͂̾͐ͪ̓̿̌̈̿̄͌͌̄̓ͮ͊̄͞f̧͍̦̪̦̤̥̳̻̱̰͓͈̞̬͍̋̌̒̀̂ͣ̓͐ͩ̏ͅr̖̤̩̖̜̻̖͕͍̭̩̖̭̠̻̹̒̈̌ͣ̈͑̌͛̂͢îͩ̈͆͒̒̋̊̏ͦ̒́͏͏̙̻͔͎ȩ̸̷̛̖̬͚̣̳̩̤̤͎̙̈̂̓̾ͨ̄̑͋ͣ̍ͦ̐ͩ̂̉̓͋̚͝ņ̛ͣ̏͐̈́͆̕͏̨̻̣͇̠͎̰͔̣͍d̪̬̲̟̝̫̂ͭͮ̈́̓ͯ͐́ͭͨ̔̈́͘͝ş̳̮͚͓̪̫͔̻̫̃͌̏̑̇̽̋͐ͣ̚͝ẖ̡̼͚̖͕͚͇̮̤̺͈͍̰̉̿͗̔ͬ̂i̛̜̭̪̗̥̖̳̠̜̞̬͖͔̎̀͌̋̔̒̒̑̄ͣͧ̉̿̓͘p̨͎͉̹̻̿͗̉̓̊͑̐̍͐͂̇̂̃ͪ̊ͮ͊̕ͅ ͂͂ͮ͌ͧ̂ͨ̉̌͆͒ͤ̎̃͛͆́̚͏̸̷̘̗̬͖̞͕̭t̷̷̯̖̥̝̩̙͓̠̙̥͐̏͗̍ͮ͘ͅͅo̡̢͕̼͚̲̼̺̙̼̺̞̜̥̲̰̗͐ͭͧͦ̋ͨ̀̿ͦ̒̈́̋̃͋̎̑͜ ̢̦͎̺̰̬̟̤̺̮̟̽̌͒ͨ̅̓̆̊͂ͯ̒ͧ̚̚͝ͅş̨͓̠̜͍̹̰̝̹͖̫̓̓͒̎̇̔̕͞ȍ̧̝͎͚͇̹̝̜͎̜̝̮͈̈ͧ̿̂͑ͯ̋ͪ͋̂̈́͑͗̕m̸͙̗̜͍̜̳̝͉̭͖̙̲̗͍͈̼̬͉̲̅̉ͭ͛̆e͆̈͛̚͏̨̟̤͈̳̜̩̳̬̲t̷ͣ̽̋ͪͫ̈́͊̽ͪ̅͂̿̓͛̑͆̽̆͟҉̰̬̠̖̱͇h̴̡̝͉̞̣̤̞̭̖͕̺̤̩̯̯ͦ̾̈ͤ̾ͮ͛͢͝ͅi̶̵̫͍̘̻͎͖̻͖̞̞̱̭̖͚̞ͮͨ͊̌̂̈́͟͜͡ņ̲̤̖̘̯͙͖̻͖̑̊̓͌ͨ͂ͬͪ̊̇ͪ̈́͗͘͟͡ͅğ̛͔̭̮͉̲͈̬̼͔̪̞̠̬̾̋ͦ̄̉̅ͤ͛ͤ͗̋͋̍ͣͬ̍̚͞ ̷̶̨̘̻̙͎ͦͪ̃ͦ͒̾̐͌̈́͗͢m̧̢̖̗̖̟̯̙̘̟͉̤̞͍͑̑ͧ̄ͨ̈̈͆ͦ̂ͯͭ̄̏ͬͥ͛ͅo̶͗̏͒ͤ̋̾ͥ̓ͥ͑͋̅ͣͥ̈ͨ̚̚͝͏̥̜̠͎̗͙͙̩͉̭ŗ̴̸̢̭̦̮̳͎͙̜͙̭͓̗͙̫̯̩͇̠̈̋̌ͩe̛̩̝͚͈͖̻̱̱͉̊̈̇͛̔͂͐ͤͥͣͦ̓͠.̷͓̰̜̺̜͓͓̣̩̟̫̣͔̗̙̜̰̰̾͛ͯ̓̽̊̃̋̿͜ ̵̡̍̑͒͛̃̉͝҉̝̼͍͕̠i̴̴̛̝̹͚͖̤͖ͧ̽͆͊̒ͦ̅ͭͨ̍́̃͑̃ͦͬ͂̋͘͡'̢̢̧̬̙͖͉̖͇̙̗͎͎̤͕͕̩̣̭̙͙̙̔̌̇ͣ͐ͤ̈́ͥ̓ͦ͞͡l̡̛̺͍̟̦̞̹͌ͯ̋̐ͯͣͨ̋ͪ̀̑̊ͪ͌ͯͣ͗͆̅l̵̻̯̞̱͍̬̞̈́̎̉̄̓͒̅̓ͦ̆͠ ̐̐ͤ͢҉̙̝͙̲̮̜ͅn̶̡̖̩͖̼̦͉͙̰͗̈̿̋͌̌͌̉ͤe͑́̈̿͒̌̂̊̚͏̗̼̣̙̱̮͔̤̻̼͖͙̞̬͢v̶̴̷̤̟̬͍͓͍̤ͧ̄͆̋͆̓ͬ̊ͦ̈́ͤͭ͝ͅeͥͣͨ̃̊̑̾̂̃̀͂ͥ̃ͮ̉͑ͭ̚҉͡͏̷̱̟͕͖ȓ̼͔̯̙͎̳̦̮̙̼̲̳͍̽̆ͦ͊̉ͩ̚͜͟ ̋ͨ̆̀̅̂͂ͣ̊̿̉̓̚͏̡͚̱̙͖͇̞͈͎̳̭͈k̵̨̡̛̳̼͈̼̙̙̺̙̟͈̝͔̲̬̜̯̻͍̣ͫ͆ͣ̏̚͡n̙̩͉͓͈̫͓̯͛̍̔ͫͩ̅̚͢ơ͑͛͊ͤ͑̆͂͐ͮ҉̮̟͔̞͙̫͈̻̭͙ẅ̵̡̥̹̭͇̠͕̖͕̰̟̓͊̆̿͝ ̴̨̝̖̰̻̗̼ͪ̍͑͆̔ͮ̽̑ͮ̌ͬͦ͢͝w̸̡̡̩̮͙̲̘̘͇͎̦ͯͨ͆ͭ̐ͬͅḩ̩̯̟̲̠̄͛̋̑ͭ͌̊̔͂̈̚͘͡a̜͈̝̫̫̝̭͕̙̯̫͙̭͈̜̼̹̼͐ͨ̿ͫt͌̑̾͑̋̉ͣ͒ͯͯ͑͋̋̾͒̃ͧ͠҉̵̹̩̞̯͕̱̣̻̳̫̳̱͉͖̜̳ͅ ̣͇̱̾̐͒͋̎ͦ́͌͋̈́͑͌ͤ̔̅̐̾͡͝t̷̢͓̺̻͓͓̭̮̣̯̤̜̣̳̅ͧ̍̊̿̎͜͞ḩ̵̶̗̯̬̹̊̿̍̑ͪ͐̿ͫͫͩ̋̍͢e̞͚̜̠̖͓̳̭͉̗͛̿̇͒̆͋̃͌̈ͪͦ̾͟͝ ̵̴̗̰̝̳͕̱͚͈̖̰̳̠̠̣̖̽̊̀̌ͣͥͯ̆̀̎ͬ̿̓ͭ̈ͥͬ̿̕͞ ͂͗́ͦ́ͦ̽̿͆̅ͭ͂̍̒͏̸͉̫͇̝̫w̛ͫͥ̎ͪͯ̒͏͍̣͕̣̣̳͈̲̪̲̙͙͉̤͙̘̳̱͡å̵̡̜̣̰͖̩̰̩͎͖̙̮̗̝͌ͦͦ̊̃̕͡͡ͅs̵̢̜̣͖̦͍̏̀́̒.̵̏ͭͯ͒ͪ͊̒̚͝͏̞͍͕̫͕̱͚̤͉͉̦͕͓̱̭̬̜̦ ̷̶̛̖̠̜̱̦̱͓̠̝͚̲͍͋́ͩ̑̇͊̑ͧͦ͑ͥ̚t̷̠̥̖̻͇ͩͥ̋ͪͦͩ̐ͬh̶̢̽̍͋̿̌ͪ̚͜͠͏̜͖̮͖̖̣̘̩͎̝̠̲̳͇̲̲̪ͅë̴̻͓͔̰̺̯̙͈̖͕͚̜̝̝̹̦̮̅̑͆̑̈́͂̉͝ ̵͈̺̣͙̞̪̩͈̜̩̭̦̬͍̙̇̍ͮ͗ͬ̾̏̍͟k̶̀̋͌̐̐̅̾͆͌̋́͊̋ͯ̾̐ͬͬ͠҉̢̜͖̥͕̲̘̻̲͇̳͉͍͇̳̙̦͉͜į̻̘̰̱͈̏͑͆ͨ̅͌̌̊̾͊̏ͩ̆̑̂ͦͭ͟n̋ͬͭ̓͂ͯ̌͂ͦͥ̀̏͏͕̲͚̫̕ğ̸͇̮̲̯ͧͭ̂ͦͩ̈ͯͯͧ̊ͫ̓́̔͘͜s͊͒̊ͭͮ̈̌͒̀͋̓̎̑̐̎̂̉͒̚͏͎̰̗̜̻̫̼̬̞̤͡ ̎̓̋͗ͨ͂̽̽ͭͩͪ̚͠҉̶̢̝̯̤̝̖͡ͅt̯̟̤͎̘̖̰̯͉̤̩̹̤̪̜̾́̆ͭͣ̎̏̄̓͐̏ͦͯ̐̋͌͐̏̕͠ò͙̖̫͖̩̥͙̪͎̼̯̥̼̙͎͎̺͙ͩ̌̀ͪͦ̌̌͛̕͡͞lͪ̈̿҉̮̳̹̦̠̤͍̥̖̻̱͙̤̹͎̥͢ͅd̶̪̻̳̞͆͆͑̐͒ͣ̍͌̍̄̒̅ͬ̓̚ ̴̧͈̦̭̹͉͔̹̳̹͓͉̙̖̰̒ͤͯ͑ͩͦ̍̊̽ͯ̎̓ͮ̓̌m̧̒͛̊͛ͥ͛ͦ̏̔ͪͪ̽ͣ͟҉̴̵̥̘̤͕̫͓ë̢̺̲͕̜̱̳͙̞̞͓̼̱̰̯̟̜̩ͬ̍̌̌ͩ̐ͬ̋̆̾̍͂̈́͜ ̘̮̼̻͍̳̪̙̥̥͍͖̘̦̈̂ͯͫ͌ͯ̔͢t͑̇̿ͬͩ҉͜͏̝̩̰̺͍͓̭̞̩̩͞o̐̓̓̊́͏͓̩̠̬̤ ̷̵̨̙̙̲̹̲̟͚͎̗̺̘ͭ̅̌͐͒̆͆̂ͨ̀ͅf̷̡̞̮̝͕̞͖͓͎ͦ̑ͨ̾͌̿̽̽̎̊͛o̵̢͖͇̰͖̰͇̟̦̻̳̲̙̮̮̲̒̑͒ͪ̐̈́͌̈́͌͂́̾̔ͤ͢ͅŗ̮̦̮̱͔͛̌̅ͬ̎̓̑͐͑̔͂̒̆ͮͬͤ͞͞ģ̾̏ͪͣͤ͏͏̶̬̪̦͇͜e̢̞͙̭͔͖̫͂̽̅̍́͑͊ͅt̸̸͕̠̳̘̻̲͚̫͍̽̇ͮ̂͐̐̈̐̀̓̅̑̈́̚͜,̲̱̰̠̝͙̪̐ͮ͐́̇ͫͧ͌ͣ͐͆ͧ̌̋̓̽͗̚͞͠ ̵̷̶̴̫̞͖̣͓̙̼̐̌̏ͧ͂̿ͪͫͯ͋͑͛̊ͯͤ́̒ͧ̚͟ͅa̶̵̵̠̜̲̳͔̬̗̣̩̝ͮ̑̾ͫ̈́̋̏ͮ̊̈ͪ̈́̃̾̾ͅņ̞̜̩̣̯̤̫̺̝̲͓̲͍͍̈ͣ͂͛͘ͅͅḑ̵̞̙̪̬̞̺̝ͧ̂ͥ͗̏̊͗͆̆̆͌͡ ̸̵͕͉̪̻̘̮͍͇͈̬̰̦̤̓ͪ̊̏̑ͦ̃́͗ͪ͒͗̔͘͝ͅͅs͙̞̠̝̫͍͉̞ͥͦ́ͥ̌̎̅̆͆̽ͤ͂̂̇͑͗ͥ̑ơ̶̼̬̞͕̬͖͎͎̖̓̀ͩ̿͌̿̓͆̚͞ ̑͆͂͗̒̑̄ͧ̈́̈̾͢͝҉̮̰̼̫̣͎͠i̢̨̻͚͖͙̳͙̳̲̟͎̲̺̻͚̻͔͓̪̇ͩ̾̍̉̄̽͛̔͒̆ͭ̑͢͡ ̸̓̈̔̆͛̅̋̕҉̖̱̠̜͖͖͉̫͉̤f̶̵̶͓͇̳̹͕̣̯̪͍̬̫̥͕͕̬͙͆̉ͣ̽͛̇̔̈ͥͩ̄̄͆̋͊̈ͅo̬̺̻̹̬̝̤͔̻̝̯̝̾ͨ̓̅͂̅̎̃̈́̀̂̋̂̎̎͞r̡͉̠͓̻̗̎̇ͦ́̓̀ͦ̿͂ģ̡̪͎̤͓͈̙̠̜̫̘̼̳̳͙̬̖̼̩̊̂̉ͫͯ͂͋͘͘ơ̮̰̝̲̣̼̥̗̣̥̫̜̜͋ͧͭ͌͑ͪ̈́ͥ̓͐͒ͥ̋ͩ̃̄̔ͭ͜͞͝͡ṫ̢͔̹̲͇̠͙̲̭̤̟̲̠̙̺͗̊͊ͮͭ̔̆̌ͥ͋̾̚͝͡.̫̱͉̠̙͇͍ͫ̌͐̀ͪͤ̎ͩ͋̃ͯ́ͫ͢ ͧ̍͊̽̉ͭ̿ͣ͂͏̢̡̛̝̟͓̪̫̭iͦ̈́͆͋̒ͬ̋ͨ̍̄̑ͮ̒̄̈́̉ͫ̚҉̶̫͖̳̳̲ ̃́̈̆͢͞҉̵̟̘̭̙̫̹͖͖̖͙͚̯̳̯̻͉̟̱ḑ̡̘̝͕͚̺͇͉̱͎̲̭̣͂͒̆̚͝ơ̷͚͚̜̞̖̝̫̹̍͐̈̐͑͂ͧ͝͝n̟̳̰̪͙̮̪̟͈͖̫̗͂̈́̌ͧ̎̆̀̃̌̒ͮ͢͝'̒͑͐ͣ̈͗͂̽ͭ҉͢҉͉̻̝̟͚ͅͅt̏ͨ̊̾̔̏̂͛ͧ͛̇͑ͦͬ̓͛̊̿̚͏̶̡̰̰̘̞̭̞̭͖̪̮̹̥̭̬͉͚̰͝ͅ ̢̢̖͈̞͇̹͇ͪ͐̽͗ų̴̛̯̫̞̙̺̗̤͓̩̙̞̒ͯͬͬ̉̔̆ͬ̊̍̐̎͘͘ͅͅn̶̵̡̢̹̯̮̫̏͊̈ͣ̋͛̅̈ͥͧ̎ͯ͐ͩ̐ͯ̍ͣ̕ď͇̞̳̟̰̗͈̼̬̺͒ͧ̐ͮ̄ͯͯ̓̏͊̅͗̍̾̏̍ͬ͡ͅȩ̢̧͑̾̊͒҉̜̰͍̳͖̙̙̯̣̝͙̞̦̘̫͙̣r̷͓̦̹̙̦͔̥̦̻͔̭̩̱̘ͤ̓̄͗͝s̿̋̓̀͋̿͐̒͑́҉̛̼̱̻̜̩̘̺͢t̘̟̪͚̲̱͔̹̦̖̞̜̀ͦ͒͛̍̈̇̆̅̅́̃͒̋̽ͣ͢͡a̴̶̶̬͕̜̙͇͇̲͚̳͇͉͍͎̦̙͓̜̪͒ͬ͆͆̔ͧ̉̎͡ņ̸̨͎͕͈̥̞̤̖̩͉͆̈ͥ̉̐̆ͥ̊ͩ̓ͅd̷̹̫̞̝̰͖͔̫̼̰̭̮̮̥͎̼̀͂͊ͥͥͨ̅ͩ͜͠ ̛̮̙͓̤̩̗̒̒̃ͧ̌͗̾ͤ͂̓̅̅̓͑͑̔͞͡t̛̩̯̭̝̞ͦ͌ͮͮ͜ḩ̶̨̨̞͈̼͓̟ͪ̾̉́̽͗ͪ̄̑͐͌ͣͬ͋̓ͬͭ̉e̱̮͖̳̣̥̙̩̱͔̦͎̹ͫͪ͊ͬ̽̓́̊͒̎ͬ͌̑ͫ̎̾̓͆ͧ͞͡ͅͅ ̏ͪ̒ͨͭ̐̈́̽͋̾́̔҉̶̜̯͉͙̰̩͍͇̬͉͔̘w̧̯̻̪̳̯̦̗̖̞̗̭̤̩̳̳̰̿̒͊͛͐ͥ͋̏̐͡o̵̢̓͑͑ͥ͋ͤͬ͒̔ͨ̅̈͆̃̆̾͐͏̨̰̤̫͍͎̝̝̳͉̪̮̜͍̫͖̤ͅȓͧ̿̓ͦ̍̋̃͗̔́͒̑̚̚͠҉̳̬͍͔̙͔͇̰̦͉͓̮̖̫d͍̯̮̱̝̙͊̽͌ͤ͑ͬ͞s̴̴̼̫̦͍͍̬͖̲͉͒̄͂̐́̐͗̔̌ͨ͑ͤͧ̕͠ ͬ̌̊̾̊̓̾͗ͥͬͦ̀͊ͨ̒͠͠҉̵͈̟͕̜̻̹̳͠c̛̪̗̤͚̗̪̹͓̩͎͖̠̠̘͉̯͇͓̉ͪ̔o̖̖̱̲̙̫͍͚̬̳͔̘͖̐̏̇ͤ̏ͥ́̐̈́͟͡m̷̴̥͓͉̝͕̳̣̦̣͍̹͂̄ͨ͐͆ͥ̒͢͞i̎̆ͪ̏̆͆̎͏̢̭̹̣̙̙̻̼̙̫͍̣ͅņ̴̨̳̥͈̼̹̥̠̙̩̘̺͈̭͉̩̃ͩͨ̈́̾̈́͛͆̎̌̈͑͛ͧ̔͌͘g̶̶̫̝͓̺̜͖̠͍͂ͯ͌ͫ̂ͯ̓ͥ̈́̈ͩ̋̓͊̌ͨ̚̚ ̵̧̥̰̜̱̣̼͙̙̗͈̙͊́̓̉ͭͦ͒́̓̓̔̇͗ͅơ̸̴̦͓͎̰̙̰̋̀̈͋̃̕͟ų̸͊͛̆̉͐̈ͪ҉̟̤̫̺̺͠tͪ̏̓̊̐̀͂ͨ̋̿̾́͌̐̚̕͏͎͖͇̜͔̜̤͇͙̠͉̗̫̪̙̻̘̻͕͞ ̧̹̞̯̭͋̓͌ͣ͢͝o̴̞̘͎̦̠͓̰ͦ̂̋̔̋̇ͯ͌ͦ̅ͅf̷̧̛͔̠͎̬̣̹̺ͦͪ͆ͦͨ͜͡ ̸̦̭̹̫͚̼̱͚̈́̉ͮ̅̋̋ͩ͗̈̓̑̎̃̐̊̚ͅm̶ͭ̃̆̏ͤͩ̐̐̌̈̍̚͟͞͏̣͕̙̼̦̹̳̦̥ỳ̢̙̞͙̥͍̫̦̳̹̹͚̥͕̤̽̈̄͛ͯ͌ͧ̾ͧ̈́̆̒̉͒̔̈́̕͢͟ ̧̈ͦ̀ͭ͐͊ͭͧ̎̈́̏̓ͩ̀͒͏͖̥̞̻͎̞̘̱̮̩̹̘̹̘̹̘m̴̰͍̖̮͔͍̽̌͆̓ͤͤ́ͥ̐̐̓͆͟ǫ̤̬̻ͭ̏̏̾͗̓ͤͦ͒ͤ̐ͯ̄̐͋̌ͪ͝u̜̘̗̻̖̹̩̱̠͔̞̪̳̅͆̅̽ͦ̈͢ţ̶̖̮̙͔͚͔̖̆ͩͯ͗ͥ̋̈́̒̈̕͡h̡̢ͥ̍̋̊̋̚͝͡҉͇̭̻͙͕̤̯̭̱̙.͍͔̼͖̳͍̣̯͔̑ͤ̿͌ͫͦ̕͡ͅͅͅ ̵̶͉̮̥̭͑̿̅̑̏͐ͪͬͬ̉ͭ͂̈ͬ̈́ͭ͑ͣ̚͝t̠̖͚̜̭͕̬̘̽͑̑ͥ̿ͪ͘ͅh̶͐̀ͪ̀ͫ̄͛́ͯͦ͒̌̂̈͊͑͆͏̭̜̭̱͖͈͖͔̺̥͔͕͔ͅͅͅȩ̺͕̜͉̪ͧͪ̀̀̄ͤͩ͗̇̍̈̀̃y̦̫̺͉̏ͫ̓̓͑̄̍̉̂̏̔͆͂̾ͬ͊͛ͬ͢͢ͅ ̷̃̓ͦ̽ͯͪͥ͌̎ͨ̎̆̑ͪ̋̾ͫ̾͏͚͓̙̙͙͕̻̘͕͕̱̰͚̬͎̯a̵̳̺̫͖̖ͪ͒ͤ̽͜͢r̘̥̲̔́ͮ̏̓ͥ͛͘͟͢ͅe̢̠͔͇̟̭̲͉̘̻̯͂ͣ̃̏̽̅́̏͋̄͂ͦ͋́ͧͭ͂ͯ̚ ͦͨ̉͂̉̂͛̈́̉̇͞͝͏̘͚̝̖̭͖̼̭̘͇͓̫̗̲̹͖ͅi̷ͩ̍ͮ̓̏͗ͣ̀ͬ̂̄͂҉̶̪͎͙̞̝̫͇͎͔̳͔̘̠͘n̙̹̝̮̲̭̱̰̘͉̈̐̈ͮͩ̿ͪͨ̒ͮͨ͡ ̶̳̥͙̊͒̊ͥͫͦ̋́ͥͅả̸̷̷̘̮̬͇̲̯̳͔̩̞́̊̃͝ͅ ̷̴͈̬͚̮͉͎̣͇̘̻̦̫̘̳͙̼͇̞̪̌͊̄̓̍̂ͮ̿̏͑͆͆͌̿ͨ͛͒ͬ͞l̵̛͍̫̱̙͔̬̞̥͖̮̱̹͈͔̰͌̌͊ͭͩ̋͌ͯ̏ͮ̓ͦ̊̉ͩ͐͟͝͝ͅą̛̯̬͚̭͎̦̳̼ͣͧ̅ͥ̒̌ń̠̫͓̲̘̟͛̉̃̾̅ͤͪͩ̽ͧ̈̃̉ͥ͟͢g̷̬̯̤̻̟̬̱̲̯̻̀̿͊̄̇͊̈́̐ͧͧ̂̏̇ͤ̊͒ͤͭͦ͜͟ů̊́̀́ͩ̒̄̌̎̋̚͜͠͏̟̖̞̥͍̠̞̲̙̭̞̼̥̭͎̳̮̩̣a̴̝͎͓̻̖̝̤͚̣͕̹̻̖̖͖̓͆ͮͧͯ̇̈̉͗̅̍ͪͨ̑͘͜͝ͅg̨̰̲̠̉͛̋͑ͭ͂͜ͅͅe̡̱̞̟͓̗̙̊͋͒͒̈͒̑ ̭̰͇̯̺̱̝̞͎͚ͬͫ̑͋̌͛̒ͪ̊̀̉ͭ̕͟i̧͓̤̯̝̮͖̪͈̭̝̙̩̳̱͕̲̍͐͋ͮ̾͐̎͗̾̒͐̎'̴̢̛̝̰̰̟̭̘͙ͯ̅̑̆ͥͦ̃ͮ̀̄̔̀̚͡l̢̡̗̟̜̤̯̲͔̖̘͔̩̣̼̰̜̔̐̅̌ͫͪ̚l̡̛̎ͣ̌ͭͫͦ͊͌ͣ̈͌̓ͧ̎̚͏̙̮̮͎͎̙͚͙̖͉͉̻̼ ̡͕͔̝̳͚͈̩͙͖͓͇̜̦͙̞̲̻̪͍̈́͛͂̒̋̇̅̌n̓̉ͫ͒̋̄͂̄̉̐͆ͦ͌͑̾̐͆͏̗͍̜̘̼͕̯͕̮̠͉ẻͮͧ͌ͥ҉͇̻̮͖̬̜̤̬͕̱̝̤̩̟̹̫v̸̸̟̣̬̲̼͍͎͇̝̺̩̮͒͋͛ͨͯ͒ͧ͆̒͌̀e̍ͬͭͧ́̚͏̵͉̞͎̱̣͙̤̟̟̬̱̳̦͕̙̥̝̦̼ŕ̷̳̻̮̪̹̊̀ͮ̾̕͘͡͡ ̶̵̡̻͓̝̦̫̩͍͍ͦͨ͗̉̈̉̒ͬ̆͛͗͢ͅs̛̽ͧ̄͑͛̓͒͋͂͂̀́̉ͩ̽͂́̾͏̝̼̹͙͇̬̖̜̳̻̝̭̯͈͇ṗ͍͇͓͎͙̂͐ͬ̈͊ͩͦ̽ͧͩ̒͋̚͢͡e̴̡͗̽ͤͨ͑̐ͭ̋̓ͫ̅ͯ̈ͮ̇̒҉̠̲̳̪͍̻͚͝ͅã̏͐̄ͬ̏̓ͧͯ̃ͩ̾̓͐ͭͬ͗́̚͏̵̧̗̣̦̟̲̞̻̻̱̯̜͝͝ͅķ̡̨̮͙̰͔̖͗ͯ̄ͤͯ͗̈ͯ.̘̫͙͕͎̘͖̼̠̔̉̄̓͢͝

~

 

 **_ＴＨＩ_ ** _ｓ_

 _ｉｓ_ **_ｎ_ ** _ｏｔ_

 _ｙ_ **_ｏｕ ｒ ＳＴ_ ** _ｏｒ_ **_ｙ_ **

_ｔｏ_ **_ｔ_ ** _ｅ_ **_ＬＬ_ **

 

~

_And so Mercury stopped talking._

_Nebulous stopped asking._

_Rune stopped listening._

 

_I̳̣̝̹͈͈t̙͖̬̟͍̹ i͇̝͖̼̰̱s̙̟̞̠̬̝̠̥̻̜̫ͅͅ ͚t̩̬̞̭̪̥̯i̱͓͖̪͚̺m̞̬̺͉͇e͈̩̗̱͔̪̱͙ ̺̥t̬̞̰̳̪̠͔̦͍̣̥͈ͅo͚̰̟̺̻̦̺̩͙̼̦̩͉ go̯̘̺͙̬̺̙̦͇ t̻͍͚̼̩̹̦̬̗̮̞̘̪͉͖̭͈ͅo̰͍̜͕̤͍͙̳͚͚̱̭̹ ̣ș̖͚̟l̮͈̩̠͈͉͖̯̪̜͎ͅe͙̯̹͇̣͚̘e͉͕̥̻͔͎̫͚̭͖̣̝͇̬͉͖̪̘p̮̘̮͉̝͓͈͖̖̲̭͓̘̝͖͕̩̗.͔̮̘̬̞̺̠̱̦̣̺̺̹_

~

 

“Hey, Aria?”

“Yeah, Juli?”

The marathon had finished. After a lot of jokes, foreshadowing that Aria didn’t quite get, and assorted screaming, they had stopped for the night after season 2 wrapped up. Tomorrow, Niko said, they would rewatch season 2 with the commentary.

Aria was just happy to see Niko and Madison so engaged in something so trivial.

Now, they were all wrapped up in sleeping bags, Juli next to Aria. The rest were probably asleep, having tired themselves out during the marathon. Hailey was probably wiped just by attempting to keep up with Niko and Madison.

“Where do I go after this?”

Oh. That wasn’t what she was expecting.

Aria looked up, surprised.

Juli winced, not meeting Aria’s gaze.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just...can I really go back to my dads after this? They think...they think I’m dead.”

“R-right…”  
  
“...do you think they even remember me at all?”

Any words of comfort dried up on Aria’s tongue. All she could think about were Madison’s words, back when it was just the three of them.

_“The Seikai attacks - even before the last one - hurt people, Sollari. Killed people, Sollari. Jonah lost one of his closest friends during that attack. He wouldn’t come out of the house for weeks. I had to take care of myself, Sollari. So yeah, I’m glad he forgot about it.”_

Juli had “died” in that attack.

Maybe, to everyone, she really had.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go back…”

No.

“No,” Aria said.

“Huh?”

Aria sat up, eyes serious.

“No! You deserve happiness, Juli! You deserve a family!” She grabbed Juli’s hand with her own, full of passion. “I’ll make them remember myself if I have to!”  
  
“Aria…!” Juli looked like she was about to cry.

Aria lay back down, a blush creeping across her face.

“Sorry,” she said. “I just...really want you to be happy-”

She didn’t finish the thought as Juli wrapped her in an odd, laying-down hug.

“Tomorrow,” Aria said. “Me and Niko will go with you. We can talk to them tomorrow.”

Juli nodded, small tears dripping onto Aria’s cheeks.

They could finally breathe.

 

It almost felt like everything was going to be ơ̸͎̺͍̭̥͙̜̼͓̰̱̲̰̼͉̥̙̬̿͌̀̊ͩ͋̓͌̈́̍̀̔ͭ̄̓̈̽̚k̸̖͚͇͉̲̙̩̻͕̘͔̯̖̦ͮͬ̅ͨ̿̄ͫ̅͆̋̽ͪ͐̏̽́̈́̆ͅa̋͑͆̇҉̢̻͍̯̠̰̣̻̻̜͔̱̘̻̲̙͓̠͞͝ͅy̧͙͚̘̖̣͙ͬ̂ͭ͂̎̈́̈́̌̈́̓ͭ̂̍̚͟.̪̜͇͔̝̻̤̬͉̙̟͗͑̔̓ͯ̈͊̔̆͘

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)  
> and we're back!!! sorry for the long wait!!!  
> college apps are Tough,,,
> 
> i really enjoyed writing this chapter!!!!  
> i especially liked the part where neb learned that her coworkers arent that bad! i think there was some real bonding among the villains this chapter.
> 
> dont you guys think so???  
> i also really liked when - 
> 
> ｐ ｏｂ ｈｆｗｃｋ ｏｃｅｉ． ｐ ｏｂ ｒｌｋｑｓｙｂ ｓｉｚｄｐｍｙ．  
> ｗ ｐｑ ｌｊｔｖｓｏｈｘｐｂｖ．  
> ｅｕｒ ｉｌｐｇ ｘｗ ｕｃｉ ｃｖｉｇ ｗａｃｇｃ ａｃ ｉｉｓｚ， ｈｙｒｗｎｙｙｗ．
> 
> \- at the end. I think it really added a lot to their characters!
> 
> well, that's all!  
> see you guys next time!!!! :D
> 
> (man seriously ao3 why did you fuck up my zalgo text it looked so good on google docs)


	14. Mirrored hearts? The twin suns of the galaxy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right now, the fire in her eyes and smile was going to be enough.

Kasumi Mitasha felt like she was about to vomit.

She jolted awake from a sleep she didn’t recall falling into, breaking a dream she wasn’t sure existed. Her breaths were rapid, shallow, rasping. 

“What was that…?”

There was something  _ wrong _ . There was something  _ missing _ .

“What the  _ fuck _ was that?!” she called out.

Around her, two figures she didn’t quite recognize stirred.

Kasumi ran through her memories. The basics were the most important, whenever stuff like this happened.

Her name was Kasumi Mitasha. Currently, she went by Nebulous. She was in the Outer Limits, a place on the edge of space-time, after being taken there by a figure known as Ritzu...and she was part of a “Trinity” along with her friends - her  _ coworkers _ Mercury and Rune.

“Neb? You alright?”

Rune sat up as Nebulous ran through some more recent memories, her head beginning to relax its pounding.

Nebulous turned to Rune, a confused expression on her face.

“What...happened…?”

Rune cocked her head, still rubbing her eyes.

“Eh? What do you mean by that?”

What…? No, no, it wasn’t a dream. How could it be a dream? Something was wrong, missing...something had messed with her head again. She could  _ feel _ it.

It had to do with Mercury, didn’t it? He was saying...something. Something important. But then…

All her memories seemed to dissolve into static. 

“Mercury. You remember, right? Weren’t you telling us something?”

Mercury yawned, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes widened at Nebulous’ question, but quickly softened again.

“I...don’t remember anything, Nebulous. Cept for how I totally kicked your ass at that “pillow fight”. That was pretty sick.”

Pillow fight? No, they hadn’t done anything like that...had they?

“Neither of you are making any sense,” Nebulous said, exasperated. “We were sitting around, remember? Mercury was telling some sort of story, then everything just...stopped. I don’t even remember falling asleep!”

A sigh.

“Nebulous, listen.” Mercury placed a cold metal hand on Neb’s shoulder. It took all she had in her to not shake it off.

Something akin to dread rose up within her as Mercury turned to face her.

His mouth didn’t match up with the stilted, distorted words that followed.  
  
“ **Ｗｈｙ** ｄｏＮ＇Ｔ ｙｏｕ  **ＳＴＯＰ ａｓｋ** ｉｎｇ ｓ **Ｉ** ＬＬＹ Ｑ **Ｕｅｓｔｉ** ｏＮＳ，  **Ｎｅｂ** ｕｌ **ｏｕｓ** ？”

Nebulous’ breathing became rapid.

She fell back, practically crawling away from Mercury. Nothing else mattered in this moment except for getting  _ away _ . She had to get  _ away _ .

_ “Sumi, please just go! Don’t worry about us! GO-” _

She had to get away, she had to get away, she had to get away-

Two hands held her shoulders tight as a head entered her view. Rune.

“Neb, I don’t get it! What’s going on?!” Her voice was filled with mock concern - or real concern? Nebulous couldn’t tell.

“I-I-I...did you not  _ hear _ that?!” Neb cried, pointing at Mercury, who simply blinked.

“Neb, all I said was that you practically passed out...Rune snuck in some of that “alcohol”, remember? That’s gotta be why you’re remembering things differently.” He gave an uncertain smile. “What did you even think I said?”

Was that really it…?

No, no, that didn’t explain what she heard. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t Mercury!

Mercury walked towards Neb, crouching down to see her eye to eye.

“Neb, I’m telling you…”

“Ｔ **ｈａｔ ｙ** ＯＵ＇ｒｅ ｔｏｏ  **ＦＵＣＫｅｄ** ｕｐ ｉｎ ｔ **ｈｅ ｈＥ** ＡＤ ｔｏ ｕｎｄｅＲＳＴＡｎｄ **ａｎｙｔｈｉ** ｎｇ ＡＮＹＭｏ **ｒｅ** .”

She knew that voice. She knew that voice. She knew that voice-

Nebulous was going to scream.

She shook violently, trying to wrench Rune’s hands off of her. 

“Let me go!” she yelled, tears pricking at the corners of her vision.

“Neb?!” That was real, genuine concern in Rune’s voice - a foreign entity to her usually. Neb looked up with wide eyes.

Rune’s eyes were sad, but her lips parted and said

“ **ＳｈＯＵ** ＬＤｎ＇ｔ  **ｙｏｕ** ｈａｖ **ｅ Ｇ** ＩＶｅｎ  **ＵＰ ａ** ｎｄ Ｄ **ＩＥＤ ｂｙ** ｎＯＷ？”

No, no no no no no no nononono…

Neb scrambled up, pulling Rune’s hands off of her. Hot tears were dripping down her face now - whether it was just from fear or something else, she couldn’t tell.

“Leave me ALONE!” she screamed.

“Nebulous!” Mercury called.

At that moment, two things happened at once.

Mercury stretched out his metal arm in what was probably supposed to be a comforting gesture.

And Nebulous turned, summoned her rapier, and stabbed Mercury through the hand.

Mercury  _ growled _ , in some sort of distorted rage. But it still didn’t quite match up with his mouth, so Nebulous turned away.

“-not again! Nebulous, what the actual fuck is going on?!” That was Mercury. That was him. Nebulous’ heart was almost in her throat, pounding, pounding, pounding.

“Go away!” she yelled, covering her hands with her ears. “Go AWAY!”   
“Nebulous…” Mercury was reaching out again, even with his arm barely responsive and sparking.

Nebulous squeezed her eyes shut.

“Ｉ  **ＳＥＥ Ｎ** ＯＷ.” 

God, it was worse. It was so much worse. But if she opened her eyes, they’d  _ be _ there. 

The owner of the voice. 

So Nebulous kept her eyes shut, and tried to stop the tears from rolling down her face.

Mercury - no, not-Mercury, the Voice puppeteering Mercury - spoke once more, and Nebulous’ heart stopped.

“ＹＯ **ｕ＇ｒｅ ＮＯ** Ｔ ｏｕｒ ＦＲＩｅＮＤ．  **Ｙｏｕ＇ＲＥ** ｏｕｒ ＥＮ **ＥＭＹ** ． ＩＳＮ＇ｔ ｔｈａ **ｔ ｒＩＧＨ** ｔ？

**ＣｕＲ** Ｅ Ｄａ **ＹＢＲｅａ** Ｋ？”

Daybreak.

Daybreak.

Daybreak?

_ Cure Daybreak. _

She wasn’t...she couldn’t be...that was just a name she had made up…!

_ “Pretty Cure! Infinity Reflection! The twin harmony of the moving stars! Cure Daybreak!” _

It had just been her wish...a silly, stupid wish…!   
She opened her eyes and looked at Rune and Mercury. She gave a small, fearful smile that hid the absolute fear in her chest.

“I’ll come back for you,” Kasumi Mitasha said. 

“ **ＮＯ，** ｙ **ｏＵ Ｗ** Ｏｎ＇ｔ,” one of them said.

With every single bit of energy left in her body, Kasumi ran away.

 

Ｇｏｏｄｎｉｇｈｔ， **Ｄａｙｂｒｅａｋ．**

 

And everything went dark.

* * *

 

Madison was getting changed when her Cure Compact opened of its own volition.

“The hell…?” she muttered. It was too early for anyone else to be up, and they were all in the same house anyway. She had only got up to attempt to make breakfast for everyone.

“Hello? Are you there? I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do...hello? Either of you?!”

It was Nebulous. Only...she didn’t  _ sound _ like Nebulous.

“Please answer me…”

Madison blinked.

She pulled on a camisole and sat on her bed, putting the Compact up to her face. 

Nebulous looked about the same as she had when the two had last seen each other, dark hair, faded hoodie, and all...except for her eyes.

They were pale blue.

“Thank god...Ayako, I’ve been so worried! Something’s wrong...something messed with my memories again.”

Ayako…?

Nebulous had mentioned someone by that name before, but Madison hadn’t exactly paid attention. Nebulous also knew her name pretty well at this point - there’s no way she could have gotten it mixed up with someone Madison wasn’t sure was still around.

“Neb, what’s going on?” Madison opted to simply ask what was happening, rather than delve into who “Ayako” was.

Nebulous raised an eyebrow.

“Neb? That’s a new one. Isn’t Miyu the one who comes up with nicknames?”

Another name she barely recognized. Madison sighed.

“Whatever joke you’re pulling, it isn’t a very good one,” Madison scoffed.

Nebulous looked uneasy.

“They messed with your head too, didn’t they? Damn it…” Nebulous shook her head. “Nevermind that. I’m trying to get out of here. There’s these two aliens here that I thought I knew, but...everything’s  _ wrong _ , Ayako. I’m...I’m kinda scared, ahaha…”

Nebulous rubbed her eyes, giving Madison a sad grin.

“Sorry to be useless again, Ayako. But...I’m just running, now. These aliens...something’s wrong. They must have captured me, but I swore I knew their names up until a few minutes ago…!” She shook her head, refocusing. “Never mind that. I’ve found some sort of teleporter, so we can meet up in the park and you and Miyu can transform. Then we can find the Shade doing all of this and take them down! Right?!”

Everything about this felt wrong. Madison felt almost sick. This was something she wasn’t supposed to see, wasn’t supposed to know.

Nebulous...was acting like Niko did.

“But hey! There’s some good news! I found this compact on me when I woke up...it’s different than yours and Miyu’s, but it could work…! Cure Daybreak could be ready for action!” Kasumi laughed, then blushed. “It’s kinda stupid, though...I really hope it works!”  
  
What should Madison say? What  _ could _ Madison say?

She gave Nebulous a smile, hoping the lie behind it didn’t seep out.

“Right. We’ll be there soon. Hang in there.”

“Of course! I’ll do my best!” Nebulous went to close the compact, but was stopped by Madison’s words - words that came out of her mouth without Madison even noticing.

“Give them hell.”

Nebulous blinked, then grinned, her worried face from earlier now a look of determination.

“Thanks, Ayako. I love you.”

The compact closed. And Madison was left to think about...everything.

Ayako had been someone close to Nebulous - or was it Kasumi? Madison couldn’t confuse the two. Nebulous was an agent of the Outer Limits, the dangerous girl who could kill them if they left their guard down. Nebulous was Madison’s confidante, but still an incredibly unstable individual.

Kasumi was...a lie, right? She had been all made up, just to get close to Juli and Chikara.

But it didn’t feel like that had been a lie.

And Ayako had been  _ someone _ . Friend? Acquaintance? Partner? Madison didn’t know. She had been a Precure, and that alone made little sense. Sollari and Lune should have known about any other human Precure?

No matter what, she couldn’t tell the others about this. They didn’t know she had contact with Nebulous - much less that she knew things about her personal life.

Aria and Niko were going to help Juli find her dads today. They didn’t need this.

Madison could do this by herself. Whether it was a trap or real, she’d confront Nebulous.

Alone.

Right?

* * *

 

“Madison! Come with us!”

Hailey had refused to come with the three of them to find Juli’s dads, stating that she’d hold down the house until Jonah returned - just in case.

But Niko was determined to make a day out of it, and she would not be swayed so easily.

Juli sighed. It really was nice of them to help her go back home, but they were sure...excited easily.

Lune perched on her shoulder, resting their head against her neck.

**You okay?** they asked. Juli nodded.

“Just thinking. Don’t worry, Lune.” Lune gave a small hum, then went back to nuzzling her neck.

Madison looked up from where she was washing the dishes of the chocolate chip pancake residue that once remained.

“Huh? Um, sure, I guess…”

Something about her seemed off, but Juli couldn’t tell specifics. Maybe she was still tired - Madison had seemed to be awake much earlier than the rest of them, and had seemed nervous. A bad dream, perhaps?

Well, whatever it was, it wasn’t her place to ask.

Hailey looked up from where she sat, drinking a coffee.

“You look nice,” she noted.

“Ah, really?” Juli pressed down the purple sweater Aria had let her borrow, along with the cropped jeans. “I mean, it’s Aria’s stuff, after all…”

“I-I think Juli would look nice no matter what..!” Aria said as she exited her room, a blush once more seeping its way across her face.

Juli laughed softly.

“You haven’t seen my fashion taste. It’s kinda shitty, Aria.”

“I mean,” Aria started, rubbing the back of her neck, “you’re really pretty, so I’m sure that anything you wear would be pretty on you too…”

Well then. How was Juli even supposed to respond to that?

The moment she opened her mouth to attempt and respond, she was cut off by the sound of a door slamming open.

“RIGHT!” Niko yelled, running into the main living room. “It’s time for Niko and Aria’s super special cool plan to make Juli smile again!”

“It’s not really a secret,” Hailey added. “Also, isn’t Madison going as well?”

Madison didn’t respond, looking down at her Cure Compact.

“Mads? Come on dude, we’re not fighting anyone today!” Niko gave a big grin, then looked a bit sheepish. “I mean, hopefully we won’t!”

“Yeah…” Madison snapped her compact shut. “Hopefully.”

Something was very off, but Juli still couldn’t quite place it…

“Lune?” Juli gave the messenger sitting on her shoulder a little head pat before continuing. “You coming?”

**Of course, Star! I don’t ever want to leave your side again…**

Juli pet Lune some more, a smile on her face.

“I don’t want to leave you too, Lune.”

Suddenly, a grip on her hand.

Juli panicked for a second, attempting to wrench her arm out of the grip, before realizing it was just Niko.

“C’mon, silly! We’re gonna go!”

“Could you...let go…?” Juli felt her face heat up just by asking. It was embarrassing, to be a legendary warrior who could barely handle human contact.

“Huh? Oh! Sorry, Juli!” Niko put her hands up, still smiling. “Now let’s go, okay?”

Behind her, Juli heard Madison sigh, putting down the plates.

“Let’s go,” Juli replied.

* * *

 

_ Ayako _ .

Madison held her compact, leaving marks on her fingers from how tightly she clenched it.

Part of her wanted to believe that Nebulous was playing some sort of prank. That it was all some sick joke to make Madison actually pity her for five whole minutes.

But Nebulous had seemed so sincere. So...naive. Actually happy, without a trace of sarcasm or malicious intent.

_ Miyu _ .

The names left a deep pit in Madison’s stomach. There shouldn’t be a reason for that, but something about them seemed...empty.

Lacking, almost.

Like those names weren’t supposed to be heard anymore.

The chatter of Niko, Juli, and Aria faded away as Madison’s heart pounded.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the park.

“I...I’ll be back, guys. Go on without me, I’ll catch up later.”

She didn’t even wait for a response as she stepped off the curb of the sidewalk, walking across the crosswalk.

“Mads?”

Madison vaguely heard Niko asking from the other side of the sidewalk, but she waved her off.

“I’ll be back. Don’t worry.” Madison took a deep breath.

Something about this felt...almost familiar.

Madison walked through the trees and dirt until she made it to the park center. And across the field, standing next to a tree no different than all the rest, was Nebulous.

Nebulous noticed Madison quickly, practically lighting up. Madison fidgeted as Neb ran over. She didn’t quite know what to expect - was it really a trap? It didn’t seem right.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Neb tackled her into a hug, and the two of them fell back onto the grass.

Madison yelled some sort of protest, but it was more out of shock than anger. Nebulous, an agent of the Outer Limits, the cause of the Keres Attack, a  _ murderer _ \- 

She was hugging Madison. 

And if the light sniffing sounds Madison heard were any indication, Nebulous was crying too.

“Ayako,” Madison heard, Nebulous saying it through barely held back tears. “Ayako, I’m so sorry...I cause so much trouble for you two…”

This...this was too raw. It burned, like Madison was a foreign entity that should just shrivel up and die already. It burned like hot tears that rolled down cheeks that just wouldn’t stop, no matter what.

Madison put a shaking hand on the back of Nebulous’ head, stroking softly.

This wasn’t Nebulous. This was something newer - someone newer, younger, with wide eyes full of hopes and dreams and love.

Kasumi hadn’t been made up. 

This was Kasumi, right in front of her.

“Hey...it’s okay.” The words felt dirty in Madison’s mouth. They weren’t her words - they weren’t ever supposed to be her words. “C’mon, get up. It’s gonna be okay.”

Madison took Kasumi’s hand, and the two of them stood up. Kasumi gave an appreciative smile to Madison, and it felt like a punch in the gut.

“Thanks, Ayako. I just got...so worried when I woke up there...you two could have been hurt, or worse…!” Kasumi rubbed her eyes with one hand. “But it’s okay, cause you’re okay. We’re all okay.”

_ We’re all okay _ .

“Speaking of…” Kasumi looked behind Madison, and frowned. “Where’s Miyu? Don’t you two need to transform together?”   
Madison’s heart steadily beat faster.

“About that…”

“Is she sick? Hurt? I know she teases us a lot and I get really mad but I don’t actually want her to be hurt, y’know! She’s...she’s our girlfriend, Ayako..!”

Madison’s heart was caught in her throat. She mouthed  _ “I’m not Ayako _ ” over and over again, but she couldn’t find the shred of courage to say it.

“Ayako? What happened? Ayako, please talk to me..”

_ “The Pretty Cure of Love are dead." _

“I'm..."

"Ayako, please...I don't like seeing you like this!"

_ "All of them." _

"I'M NOT AYAKO!"

Madison stared down at the ground, tears pricking at her vision. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t do it.

Not after…

_ “I want to help you, firefly. I want you to have something, anything, when you realize that there is nothing ahead of you.” _

“I’m sorry,” Madison said. “I’m sorry. But I was never Ayako.”

A pause. One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Then Kasumi laughed.

“Oh, I see now,” she said, tears fully running down her cheeks. “You just wanted to play along, huh? Just so you could twist the knife a little more.”

“I..didn’t know they were so important to you. I’m sorry, Kasumi.”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!”  
  
Kasumi wrapped a hand around Madison’s neck, eyes losing their once-pristine blue color for something...darker.

“You knew. You  _ knew _ that they were everything to me. And then you...play along, letting me believe they were still here? I...I remember them now. God, how could I ever confuse them for  _ you _ ?”

Madison tried to speak, but the words were caught in her throat. Kasumi’s grip grew tighter.

“You don’t have the right to call me that. I’m not even really Kasumi, am I? Not anymore. Not since...they died.”

Madison grabbed Kasumi’s wrist, twisting it enough that the grip on her throat loosened. Madison ran, gaining as much distance as she could before turning to face Kasumi, her Cure Compact in hand.  
  
“But it’s okay. I can avenge them. I can fix everything.”

Kasumi smiled, anger and sadness tearing it in two, straining the grin as if it was about to tear itself apart.

“I have to kill the Pretty Cure.”

Kasumi clutched her locket with one hand, the purple glow spreading throughout her body and changing her appearance. If Kasumi Mitasha had really been there…   
She was gone now.

Madison steeled herself. This was a fight against Nebulous. She could do this.

“Pretty Cure! Infinity Reflection!”  
  
Orange light and embers shrouded Madison from view as she transformed, walking out of the light as it became a cape that trailed behind her. She ran a hand through her hair, letting it flow more freely down.

“A great spirit that lights up the stars! Cure Comet!”

With a small spark in her hand, she pointed at Nebulous.

“With a heart of passion and a sparking spirit, I will be your opponent today!” She didn’t smile as she usually did. Instead, Comet was filled with cold resolve - nothing more, nothing less.

“Whatever happened to trying to save me…?” Comet sighed, something pitying rising up from within her. “It’s okay, Neb. I’ll save you now.”

Nebulous stuck her arm out, her dark rapier materializing. She held it up in a fencing stance, tears still flowing down her face.

“I need to get rid of you...so I can see them again…” She was muttering the words over and over again, before locking eyes with Comet. “So please, Pretty Cure…”

A hint of a smile broke through her face.

“Die.”

Nebulous ran at Comet, swinging her sword wildly. It wasn’t Nebulous’ using fighting style - the strikes were sloppy and easily telegraphed, but the pure rage behind them felt as if it would scorch Comet where she stood.

Comet dodged the strikes, not wanting to attack. The pain in Nebulous’ eyes - had she caused that, by playing along with her altered memories? Why had her memories been altered, anyway?

A slash towards her gut, and Comet stopped mentally asking questions.

She ran towards Neb, jumping up and kicking once, twice, thrice in quick succession. Nebulous cried out as she was hit, but managed to block Comet’s fourth strike, throwing her back across the yard.

“Nebulous, listen!” Comet protested, crying out as she dodged purple waves that seemed to emanate from Nebulous’ slashes. “I don’t want to fight you!”

“Why?! We’re enemies, you and me. You’re a Pretty Cure! Your kind...you are the creators of suffering in this world!” 

Nebulous ran at her once more, and Comet dropped to the ground, sliding under Nebulous before jumping up and punching her. Nebulous blocked, but was still pressed back by the power behind the strike.

Nebulous jabbed her rapier in the air, creating missiles of light that followed Comet. With a spin and the fire that glew in her hands, the missiles dissipated, burned into nothingness.

Comet jumped up, rearing back a fist. Nebulous jumped back, but not before Comet punched the ground, making it break apart around them.

Nebulous yelled, kicking off one of the shattered pieces of earth around her, and jumping to the side. Comet followed, sparks already fizzling in her hands.

“This isn’t you!” Comet’s eyes were pleading, lost. “The girl from just a few minutes ago...that was you! That was Kasumi! The real you!”

Comet thrust her palms out, fireworks erupting from her hands and pushing Nebulous down to the ground.

Nebulous stumbled as she got up, a hand to her head.

“My name is Nebulous,” she mumbled to herself. “I’m an agent of the Outer Limits. My mission is to destroy the Pretty Cure. Nothing else matters.”

She looked up at Comet, her eyes hardening.   
  
“ **ＮｏＴＨＩＮＧ** ｅｌｓ **ｅ ＭＡＴＴｅ** ｒｓ！”

Comet braced herself. For what, she didn’t know.

What should she say? What  _ could _ she say?

As Nebulous’ rapier glew purple and red, as her eyes darkened and her tears dried up, Comet could only say one thing.

“...you matter, Nebulous.”

 

Then, quicker than Comet could even hope to react to, Nebulous ran.

And her rapier sank into Comet’s side.

 

_ “MADISON!” _

* * *

 

Her blood was warm.

That is what Nebulous noticed as the Pretty Cure who was not Ayako, looked at her wound, placing a hand over it and looking at her own blood run through her fingers.

What had been her name? Something cute. Something she liked.

“I’m sorry,” Nebulous said. She didn’t quite know why she said it. After all, this was a Pretty Cure, and Pretty Cure s̴̢̩ḩ҉̞̗o͚͙ư͈͙̩͙͉l̤͎̼̹͈͓͕ͅd̸̰̦̙͈͘ ̷̫̠͙͔̹͠ͅẖ̨̗͓̩̘̭͓̘̕a̵͕͜ͅv͏̗̙͕̦͕̦̳̙͔ę̵͇ ̶̜̘̭͘d̸̨̻̝̦̕i͟͝͏̝̦̮͉̠e̴҉͍̮͈̜̯͝d̢̪̺̪͔͇̪͕ ̡̥͔a̸̭̙̤̝͇̺͝͞l͏҉̜̠̠̯̥ṟ̶͉ę̹̭̤̟̤͎͜a҉̖̜̣͕d̦͚̮͞y̨̮̗̯͔̙͝.

Her thought cut out in a burst of static, screeching white noise that meant nothing to her.

Something felt odd about her body. Something had changed, suddenly, as she was thinking.

Nebulous could feel blood on her outfit, for one.

And for the second…

Oh. 

The Pretty Cure was hugging her.

“I’m sorry,” Nebulous said, and she still didn’t understand why.

Three brightly colored girls ran towards the two of them. One pink, one blue, and one yellow. They were too bright to Nebulous, too bright to be looked at. Like stars or suns, burning white hot.

This Pretty Cure could be looked at. She was a sunset, a flower, a…

A firefly.

The memories hit Nebulous like an arrow through the heart, making her hold her head like it was about to explode.

Nothing made sense. None of it. It was all nonsense, garbled, garbage words.

“Why?!” she cried out, her voice the one thing that cut through the corrupted words in her head. “Why would you do that?!”

The brightly colored girls were talking now, but Nebulous didn’t listen. She stood up, shaking off the firefly’s arms.

“WHY?!” and the words felt like black sludge dripping through her lips, like blood, red as the firefly’s own wound. “WHY DO I MATTER TO YOU?!”

The firefly stood up, a small, sad smile on her face. Nebulous could feel the pity, the care, the...love from her eyes and her smile.

For some reason, it didn’t feel bad.

“Because we’re friends, Nebulous. And I promised to save you, remember?”

The garbled noise, the corrupted words, the garbage data - it all quieted down.

And Nebulous’ rapier glew bright white.

In the firefly’s chest, an orange star glew brightly. It flew upwards, like a balloon escaping to the stars above, before the firefly caught it with one hand, shaping it around her wrist.

An orange-colored center, with five lights decorating the top. An orb-like object in the middle, that could be spun around and around. Twin, pale orange wings that curled inward, framing the bracelet as if it was a butterfly.

“Rise up! Constellation Bracelet!” 

Orange fire crackled around the bracelet, as the twin wings expanded outward. Ribbons of light encompassed the firefly’s hand, creating a sort of armored glove. The firefly clapped, and the light spread to her other hand, creating something identical.

“Light Linked Gauntlet!”   
Nebulous stood, awe and fear dueling for control inside her heart. 

“Firefly...I...I don’t want to die…” Nebulous stumbled over the words, something dark biting at the inside of her.

But the firefly only shook her head and smiled.

“I’m going to save you now, okay? So you don’t have to cry anymore.”

With the fist with the bracelet attached to it, the firefly drew back her arm, fire crackling in the pure white gauntlet.

Nebulous stood tall, holding the rapier in front of her. She would cut through it. She  _ had _ to cut through it.

“Pretty Cure!” The firefly placed one hand on her heart, the other still drawn back. “Shooting Spark Flare!”  
  
The firefly punched the air.

And fire erupted out of her gauntlet. Striking, burning, deadly fire, swallowed Nebulous whole, and she tried to scream.

But...it didn’t burn. Not in the same way as fire.

It was warm, but warm in the way a hot spring was. There was a feeling of safety, of comfort within the fire. 

Nebulous’ rapier, still glowing white, begun to crack. And the garbage data begun to collect itself into words, into  _ worlds _ , into Neb’s life.

Crack. She was fighting Cure Comet of the Interstellar Pretty Cure. They were confidantes, and...friends.

Crack. Ayako and Miyu, the Twilight Pretty Cure, were long dead. Nebulous had joined the Outer Limits to get revenge on those who had been the ones responsible for their death - all of Pretty Cure.

Crack. Her coworkers, her friends, her partners back in the Outer Limits were named Mercury, Rune, and Ritzu. As much as they were assholes, they cared about each other.

Crack.

Kasumi Mitasha still existed within her.

 

Nebulous picked up the rapier, and turned its point on herself.

She drove it into her chest.

And it shattered, all around her.

Nebulous smiled.

* * *

 

It was silent when the fire dissolved. Niko, Juli, and Aria had fallen quiet, staring at Comet in disbelief. Lune had a wary look on their face, distrust pouring from every pore in their body.

Nebulous looked at her. The two of them locked eyes.

With both hands, Nebulous held something out. Something white, with five dull gray star shapes on it, and a rainbow ribbon tied around it.

No. There were six star shapes in total.

It was just that one was glowing orange.

Comet walked forward, gingerly taking it from Nebulous’ hands. 

What should Comet say? What  _ could _ she say?

She knew now, in this moment.

“Give them hell.”

Nebulous smiled.

“Fuck off, firefly.”

With the glow of her locket, she vanished.

 

As Comet detransformed back into Madison, she held Nebulous’ gift to her chest.  
  
“Love you too, asshole.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow!!! i guess its beat neb up day!!!  
> jesus i dont even know why this chapter went as hard as it did...all that was supposed to happen with the memories was that first scene but suddenly my brain decided to just wreck neb's shit  
> anyway!! comet becomes the first one to regain her constellation bracelet!! this is the same bracelet / weapon that the girls gained back in chapter 12! now comet can summon her weapon at any time - the light linked gauntlets!
> 
> also, mercury and rune are fine. the only memories that were meant to be removed by...someone...were the memories of merc's story. for some reason, nebulous' got fucked up in the process. i wonder why?  
> anyway, dont worry!! everythings fine in the outer limits!
> 
> it’s all fun and games!  
> just don’t talk about ̶̡̻̜͉̝̱̱͍̠͐̂̈ͤ̌̋͛͛wͭͮ̂҉̮̗̪͕̠͇̲h̸̛͔̠͍̯̤̘̻̣̘̬̺͓̦̓ͫ̇̄ͮ͆͟ą̡͇̟͉̭̳͎͖̖͉̳̞͖͇̯͕̤̹ͭ͗͊̆̇ͭͧ̅͑ͮ̐̑̾̇͘͜ṫ̷̷̺̼̰͈͍͙̺͙̮̐̌͜ ̴̬̞̤̬̟̻̳͕̳͓̜͕͚ͣ̓͛ḧ̢́ͯͬ̍́̏ͣ̌̈́̅̾̔͆̑ͦ̌̓̕͏͚̟͉͎͉̦̟̱̯ͅả̴̢̗̩̬̭̳͕͕̲̯̫̬̥̰̫͓̗͕ͣͦ̓͂p̧ͭ͛ͬ͂͗̃̊͑̒ͮ͗̑͘͞͏̼̥̗̘̜̠̱̞̙̮̞͔̭̫p̢̢̭͉͈͖̺̜̤̰͇̐̋̒̑ͩ͝͠ḙ̴̢̹̩̻̝̯̳͍̜͎ͦ̿̆̏ͣ̓̈ͤͭ̈̈̊ͤ́ͭ͜n̜̝͖̜͙͇̥̱̯̭̠͎̹͓̄́̂͛ͣ͋̃̂̌͐ͪ͊̓̉̽̉ͤ̄͘ȩ̛̗̩̳̭̹͆ͤͪͩͧ͋ͬͪͫͦ̏ͣ͐͂͛d̶̨̖̥̺̼̪͔͎̠ͥͬ́ͯͧͥ̌ͨ̄͌̕͘͞ ̭͎͉̳̗̰̤͍̖̼̦͈̙̬͖̱̻̌͊͌́̐ͫ̓̚̕͝͞ͅẅ̵̢̠̝̜̤̙͍͔̺͈̝͇͕̘͙͕͉̝̦́ͪͭ̆̅̔̓͗͑̐̓̍̅ͯ͢hͦ̆̓ͦ̾̄̀ͭ̿ͦ҉̰͓̰̟̟̯̟͕͈̙̥̙͔͜͞ȇ̯̠̦̞̼̲̩̮̺̳ͬ͗̊͐̑̇̿̑͋̈̚̕̕n̷̢͈̫͎͎̤̘̫̤̻͆ͯͨ̔̇̉̎̒̔ͧ̈́͌̒ͩ̓̊ͅ ̌͂͛̉ͦͫͨͯ͜͝҉̳̠̪͍̙͓͓̭̙͖͔y̪̳̘̼͇̘̱͈̼̩̙̠͕̖̥̟̗͉̦ͬ̒͒̄͗̉̀̋̚͟͡o̧̫͈̮͖͚͍̠̼͙̠̩̭̗͓͕͍̟̪ͧ̈̓ͩͮͥ̆̓͟ư̸̡͚͙̱͇͚͉͎̥̠͔̰̣͈̮͎̻̣̽ͨ̽ͦ͗͋ͩ̇̈̍ͥ͜ ͬ͑́̉ͫ̓̃̾ͩ͊͏̨͓͕̮̞̱͈̼̩̣̺͚̞̪̲̮ͅd͚͙̣͙͎̠͖̱̭̫̘̥͇̹͚͓̣̊̋ͯͨͮ̍ͯ̂̓̈̆͘i̢͚̱͈̪̳̳̰͔̹̬͕͓͊̿͐̍͐́ͥ̒̌̃͑̌̄̕e̴̵̢̠̠̬͂̽̆̆͊͛ͦ̅ͬͭ̈̔̎̊ͪͬ̽͌͞͞d̖̤̰̟̥̩͓͉ͤͫ̇̒̊͋̽͢͞
> 
> see you next time!!!!


	15. On the wings of courage, reignite the stars!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stars shine brightest in the dark. Even then, they can still be hard to find.

_“Because we’re friends, Nebulous.”_

Madison turned, smiling at Niko, Juli, and Aria. A plastic, arrow-like object was clutched in her hands, an orange star on it pulsing brightly.

Niko grinned as well, running towards Madison and embracing her. Aria laughed, walking towards the two of them to take a closer look.  
  
Juli felt like the only one who still had any common sense.  
  
“What...what are you _doing_ ?!”  
  
It came out harsher than she meant it, fear seeping through her voice and choking her throat. Lune, still sitting on her shoulder, pressed into her firmly, the comforting motion that had brought her down from panic attacks before.  
  
But this wasn’t a panic attack. This was...betrayal, almost.  
  
Niko looked back, genuine confusion in her eyes.

“What do you mean, Juli? This is amazing, isn’t it? Madison helped Nebulous, and we got this...new power up! Isn’t that cool?”  
  
Something like terror gripped Juli’s heart.

“No,” she mouthed. She shook her head, willing her voice to be louder. “No, it isn’t.”

Niko blinked.

“Y-you’re trusting what she gave you? This is _Nebulous_ we’re talking about! Why did Madison even...why did she even help her in the first place?!” Her heart pounded faster. No. She had to stay under control, no matter what…!  
  
“Weren’t...you two friends…? Before…?”

Niko said it, but her voice may as well have been white noise to Juli.

Friends.

 **_Friends.  
_ **  
_“The Pretty Cure of courage and justice, huh?” Her voice came out in a sneer as Nebulous’ face twisted into a disgusted look. Juli shriveled under it, trying to back even further into the cage she had been confined in, but it was no use. Nebulous was inside, and she got closer and closer to Juli, seemingly relishing in watching her panic grow.  
_   
_“I wonder how much courage it would take to resist screaming…” her voice was dangerously soft, and Juli tensed up, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. “...when a finger or two were cut off.”_

_Juli swallowed. Hard._

_Nebulous suddenly backed up, looking down at Juli. Her red eyes appeared to be almost crimson.  
_  
_“I’m not allowed to harm you yet, sadly. But once I am…” She smiled, a smile that had seared its way into Juli’s dreams in the fitful sleep she had. “Once I am, I should warn you that I won’t give you the quick death I gave your friend.”_

_“You’ll pay for what you did to those people.”_

_With a shaky breath, Juli worked up the courage to say one thing._

_“I didn’t do anything. Y-you’re the one who killed people!”_

_For a second, Nebulous’ eyes flashed with confusion.  
_ _  
_ **_ＩＴ＇ｓ ｎ_ ** _Ｏｔ ＹＯＵ_ **_Ｒ ｐｌＡＣｅ ｔｏ ＤＥＣＩＤ_ ** _Ｅ ｗＨＯ ｉｓ_ **_ＴＨｅ ＭＵＲＤＥＲＥＲ_ ** _，_ **_ＳＴＡＲｌｉｇｈｔ．_ **

_The world filled with a pounding voice that shot through Juli’s brain, ripping any further protests from her throat. With a weak cry, she called out to Nebulous._

_Nebulous walked away._

Juli looked at Niko, her eyes wide and empty. Lune looked at her, but Juli saw nothing but Niko in front of her.

“I need a second,” she said.

And she ran away from the group as fast as she could.

* * *

**Juli…**

“I’m fine, Lune.”

**You’re not. I felt your heartbeat, you know...you can’t hide your fear from me.**

“I said I’m _fine_ , Lune.”

**Juli, don’t lie to me-**

“I SAID, I’M FINE.”

Lune fell quiet, and Juli stewed in her anger alone.  
  
Nebulous hadn’t seen her, but she had seen Nebulous. How could she not have? The red eyes that glared at her like she was the epitome of darkness in the world, the dark shadow that threatened to swallow Juli’s light whole...every time she was near Nebulous, it was if the world became a little colder as her heart pounded a little more.

It was a simple mistake to think they had once been friends, Juli knew. All it took was remembering the name “Kasumi”, and how Juli had once talked about her and how she wanted to be her friend.

But those hopes had been dashed in an instant, along with twenty-seven lives.

**...Juli, I don’t want to make you more upset, but…**

The halting voice was unlike Lune. Absentmindedly, Juli stroked their fur with one hand as her brain went into overdrive.

Was Madison friends with Nebulous? She didn’t know anything about what she was truly like. She could have been tricked, or blackmailed…  
  
Or on their side. Could she trust her so-called teammates? Aside from Niko, she barely knew them…

She barely knew them at all. She had just saved them because it was the right thing to do.

Could she really throw her life away once more for strangers?

**Juli, please turn around.**

Juli gritted her teeth. If they were really traitors...what could she do?

Her brain said to kill them, but she knew that was a poor decision. More teenage deaths would draw suspicion, if nothing else...and she was never very good at killing.

No, she would have to wait this out. They seemed innocent...for now.

If something happened…

...maybe she would just off herself, instead. Would make all her problems go away, wouldn’t it?

Ah, that was the tipping point. Juli held her head in her hands. She had to snap out of it, before she ended up spiraling again. It never got any better from that thought.

Breath, in, and out. In, and out.

Lune was a comfort, a constant warmth against her throat...but they were poking her mentally, telling her that they had to leave.

Juli didn’t understand. She had to stay like this for a second longer, just so she could get her thoughts in order -

Oh.

Juli looked up, and her eyes met wide, printed words that faded years ago from the harsh sunlight.

 **_IKARI HIGH,_ ** the sign said. Then, a haphazard banner next to it.

_[CLOSED FOR REPAIRS]._

Juli was standing right in front of where the Keres Attack had ended. She was footsteps away from where Chikara’s dead body had once lay.

Footsteps away from the last solid ground she had felt for a month, before she escaped.

A chain link fence was all that separated her from entering the building where everything had been destroyed, all at once. Where her peaceful life had become a nightmare.

In front of her, a wall had once stood, walling off the courtyard from the outside world. Now, it was open to onlookers and nature alike, flimsy metal doing little to stop people.

Yet, the courtyard wasn’t marred by graffiti, or coated with dust, or anything. It was if people knew that the courtyard was something important, something too engraved in memory to touch.

Lune kept contact with her, a mental weight.

 **You don’t have to see it,** they said. But Juli knew she had to.  
  
She stepped through a broken link of the chain link fence, looking up.  
  
A wall had been removed, yes. But it appeared something new had been put in its place.

Around the courtyard, names were engraved in the old wall of the school. Dozens of names, each engraved with care.  
  
_Joel Robinson_

_Yuuki Hotaru_

_Angela Weiss_

_Annais Beaumont_  
  
They weren’t alphabetized, nor were they organized in any recognizable pattern. They were just names, scattered on the wall.

_Mei Huang_

_Vinny Johansson_

_Hara Misumi_

_Evans Fainas_

Until, suddenly, there was one name. A name that stood out, beyond all the others.

_Chikara Oshiro_

And next to it

_Juli Kuroba_

was her own name.

“It’s the memorial wall. For those who died in the attacks.”

Juli jolted, a hand on Lune as she spun around, ready to fight.

Instead, a girl with black hair and eyes didn’t even blink as she walked up next to Juli, pressing a hand on the wall.

Juli relaxed, looking back at the wall. It felt less sickening to look at her own name, with someone by her side.

If she pretended the girl was Chikara, she could almost smile.

“I like to come here,” she said. “It’s...reassuring.”

“Reassuring?” Juli gave the girl a cold look. “These people died.”

The girl gave a mirthless laugh, and smiled sadly.

“Yep,” she said, bitterness dripping from her words. “They sure did. My friends, my family...dead. Funny how that works out, huh?”

Juli looked away.

“It doesn’t reassure me because they died. It reassures me because they got one name wrong.”

The girl moved her hand, uncovering one name.

_Lyra Kiriki_

“They got it wrong. They didn’t realize that I’m still here.”

Juli swallowed, looking back up at her name. _Juli Kuroba_ , it continued to read. It wouldn’t ever change.

“Doesn’t that make you feel sick?” she asked, the words coming out of numb lips. “To see your name up there, surrounded by everyone who died?”

“No, not at all.”

Lyra smiled at Juli, shaking her head.

“It doesn’t, because...if they got it wrong, couldn’t they have gotten the others wrong?” Lyra’s hand traced other names in the wall. “Maybe they’re all still out there. Maybe they just got confused...maybe we just can’t remember.”

Juli looked at Chikara’s name.

“I left, you know. I went to visit family for about a year, and when I came back...no one remembered me. No one even knew who I was. My friends...had died. I didn’t even know how.” Her hand dropped from the wall, and she clenched it in a fist. “So I researched everything I could. Everything still on the internet, everything I could garner from people. I was going to learn. I’m still searching, but for now…this is my only comfort. Maybe they’re just out there, like me. I just need to find them.”

**...you shouldn’t live in denial, Juli.**

_I know_ , she sent back. _But it wouldn’t hurt to hope, wouldn’t it?_

Silently, she pointed at her name.

Lyra looked up.

“A friend?” she asked, before narrowing her eyes. “No…that’s you, isn’t it?”

Juli nodded.

“My name is Juli Kuroba,” she said. “And...they got my name wrong.”

For a second, Juli managed to crack a smile at Lyra Kiriki. The two of them grinned quietly, together, mistakes engraved in stone.

The sun began to set, orange light flaring through the sky, painting it like a blank canvas. Lyra sighed.

“I should get going,” she mumbled. “But...I’ll come back. It was nice to meet you, Juli. Maybe one day...we’ll find another mistake.”

Lyra waved as she walked away, and Juli waved back. But despite the sunset changing the landscape, casting long shadows, Juli didn’t want to leave.

 **There’s nothing in there,** Lune said. **Nothing except bad memories. We have to move on, Juli.**

“You weren’t the one that went here,” she mumbled. “There’s happy memories there, too. I just want to see them.”

**We have to move on.**

“And we will. In time.”

Her fingers ghosted the wall as she rattled the doors that lead inside. Locked. Obviously…  
  
Six months. No, longer. It had been longer when she had quit karate.

With a yell, Juli side kicked once, twice, three times. Then, a spin, and -

_BANG._

The double doors opened after a solid back kick. Juli smiled in satisfaction.

Her fingers left the wall, after tracing one last name.

_Kasumi Mitasha_

And Juli Kuroba re-entered Ikari High for the first time.

* * *

 One step. One step into the building, and her head was filled with a scream.

The outside had changed enough. She didn’t have to think about it.

But the inside was the exact same.

Hundreds...no, thousands of voices, crying out in fear. The pure terror that could only be ripped out of vocal cords once they had seen someone stand, too terrified to move, as a stranger shattered the windows one by one, glass raining down on the students.

Frantic screams, running. Backpacks left, shredded by glass shards. People lying, still numb from shock and pain.

Juli, not able to do a single thing.

Blood ran down her cheek. She wasn’t invincible, not now. She had been simply...human.

Nebulous wasn’t. She had never been human, not really.

**Juli, it’s okay. Listen. Just listen to my voice.**

Ah. Juli hadn’t noticed, but she was on her hands and knees, breathing heavily. She must have collapsed.

It was pathetic, really. She was a warrior of justice, paralyzed by a simple scream.

**Look up. There’s nothing. It’s fine, you’re fine...she’s not here anymore.**

But if Juli looked up, the glass…

**There’s no glass. It’s okay. Nebulous isn’t here.**

Her ears were ringing. The screams were so loud, so frightened…

Juli looked up. The windows were shattered, and she fought the urge to look back down, to vomit, to scream herself.

She looked to the left. There were no tattered backpacks, no shoes left by terrified teenagers, no kids still lying on the floor.

She looked to the right. There were no blood stains, no murals of broken glace, and no Nebulous standing tall, smiling.

It was quiet. There was no frantic fire alarm, screeching, ringing, pleading…

“Right,” she said, picking herself back up. “Right.”

 **It’s a bad idea to be here,** Lune mumbled. **I don’t want to see you like that…**

“No,” Juli said, standing back up. “I want to look at this. I want to face it myself.”

Lune gave a quiet whine, nudging against Juli’s cheek. Juli sighed.  
  
“It’s going to be okay, Lune.” She petted Lune’s small head, giving a small smile. “I just want...to see this place. To know that what I’m doing is right.”

 **You have me for that, you know**.

“Aha, you’re not wrong.”  
  
Still, she continued to walk through the empty hallways, rapping on the doors as she went. No one answered, of course.

It almost felt like they should have.

**What are you looking for?**

It was a good question.

Was she supposed to be looking for something, really?

She had entered in search of good memories, but all she found was phantoms of something darker.

Trauma, Lune had called it in the Outer Limits. The day she refused to eat, because her stomach was going to be ripped apart, just like Chikara’s own.

That was trauma, they had said.

“Something happy,” Juli answered.

**You won’t find that here.**

“I can try.”

 

“Juli…? What are you doing here?”  
  
Juli stopped dead.

“You may be a sophomore now, but that doesn’t mean you get out later!”

**Juli? What’s wrong?**

Juli turned around, disbelief feeling like cold tears welling up in her eyes.

A grey hoodie and navy sweatpants. Long black hair tied up in a messy bun. Dark blue eyes that glimmered with a joke that was never said aloud.

Chikara Oshiro.

“What’s wrong, Juli? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

 **No** , Lune said in her mind.

“No,”Juli said aloud.  
  
“I was just lost in my thoughts,” she said.  
  
Chikara smiled.

**Juli. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.**

“You see her too, don’t you?”

**I…**

“It’s her. She’s here.”

Chikara cocked her head, giving a confused look.

“What are you two going on about? It’s not really fair if you leave me out of all this, Lune.” She sighed, before suddenly stopping. “Wait, wait…”

Chikara’s eyes softened as she walked towards the two of them, pulling Juli into a gentle hug.

“You’re having another one, right? Both of you. It’s okay. I’m really here.”

Juli couldn’t bring herself to hug her back.

“Another what, uri?” Lune piped up. It was almost strange to Juli to hear their voice aloud and not mentally. This was how the three of them would talk, though…  
  
“Another one of your episodes! From everything that happened in the Outer Limits...when that Ritzu asshole made you two believe I was dead!” Chikara said it so matter-of-factly that Juli almost wanted to believe them. “I always get worried when you two are alone, cause of that…”

Moving slightly, Juli pressed a hand against Chikara’s stomach.

It was firm. Whole.

“Chikara...I don’t understand. You’ve been dead for six months.”

Lune stayed silent.

Chikara let go of Juli, grinning.

“But I’m not, see? I’m real. I’m real.”

Juli moved her hand from Chikara’s stomach to her cheek, pressing. It was warm. Warm.

_Chikara’s cheek was cold as Juli held it, cradling her. She screamed, holding Chikara to her chest._

**_Star, you have to move! Star! STAR!  
_ ** **_  
_ ** _Her own scream drowned out Lune’s message._  
  
For a second, she swore she could see blue stars sparkling in Chikara’s dull eyes.

_If she could just...hold those lights, one more time..._

Oh. Tears were streaming down her own cheeks.

_Light filled her vision. Bright, blinding, burning light._

Chikara held her hand, pressing it even more firmly against Chikara’s cheek.

“I’m right here, Star. Right here.”

Star.

Juli ripped her hand back, as if she had been burned.

The cheek was so warm. Warm, like blood and spirit and _life_ still poured through Chikara.

“You’re not real, uri. You can’t be real, uri.” Lune’s voice was choked with something like tears, and it stung Juli’s heart like needles. “I watched you die, uri!”

“That was a trick!” Chikara spread her hands out, pleading, begging. “A trick by Nebulous, and Mercury, and Rune! A trick by the Outer Limits!”

“Juli, don’t listen to her, uri-!” Lune’s voice cut off in a cry as Chikara pet them softly.  
  
“It’s okay, Lune. I know it’s bad. But I’m here.”  
  
Juli looked from Chikara to Lune, her heart beginning to pound.

Something was wrong, right…? Chikara was dead. She had felt her body go limp…  
  
“Juli.” Juli looked up to see Chikara’s blue eyes, piercing her with their gaze. “You believe me, don’t you?”

No, wait, this wasn’t right.  
  
The three of them were a team...so why was she meant to choose?  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
But suddenly, she couldn’t quite remember what.  
  
Juli looked at Chikara.

Chikara looked back.

It was a gaze that Juli couldn’t understand. When Chikara looked neutral, she was a kaleidoscope of emotions, blended so thoroughly that only Juli could see them.

But this was impassive. Cold.

Juli couldn’t understand it.

_“Hey J, do you ever think...we’ll be done with all this?”_

_Chikara laid on the grass of Juli’s backyard along with her, an arm around Juli and her eyes fixed on the sky. Juli turned slowly, confusion hitting her._

_“Why would you want to be?” she answered, smiling. “It’s amazing, don’t you think? We’re heroes. Heroes.”_

_“I like being heroes, but…” Chikara sighed before laughing it off. “Nevermind. You’re such a dork, you know.”_

_“Huh?” Juli’s face heated up._

_“Whenever you mention being Precure with me, your eyes are so wide and shining, and your voice is different. It’s cute.”_

_Juli fidgeted in her spot, blush creeping over her cheeks._

_“That’s not fair! You can’t just read me like that!” she protested over Chikara’s laugh._

_“We can read each other, dork. It’s the same reason you know I’ve never done any of my homework when I tell you I have.”_

_Juli gave her a look._

_“Did you do it tonight?”_

_Chikara gave her a sheepish smile._

 

_“Kaaaaraaaaa! You have to do your work, you know!”_

“Kara,” Juli said.

Chikara tilted her head.

“Something wrong?”

 **_We have to move on_ ** , Lune had said.

“Yes. Yes, there’s something wrong.”

The Lunar Compact flicked open as Juli held it in her hand, taking a step away from Chikara.

“Pretty Cure! Infinity Reflection!”

Blinding pink, blue, and yellow light flowed around Juli as her clothes were replaced with a shimmering pale blue dress. The blue light pressed around her chest, forming a bodice of blue and pink, striking yellow lines running through it. Puffy white short sleeves appeared one after the other as she bobbed her head either way.  
Juli twirled, pink light swirling around her hips until a pink-topped skirt appeared, white tulle filling in. She ran her hands through her hair, shaping twin pigtails as yellow light flowed through her.

She tapped the open compact, light shimmering around her hands to form twin white gloves, tapping her ankles to form black, shining boots.

Running a finger on the brim of her glasses, they changed from simple frames to bright blue, as she felt her eyes change into a striking purple.

Juli closed the compact, pressing it to her chest, a black jacket-like collar appearing along with a short black capelet, the star emblem shining on her chest.

Wind whipped through her hair as the light around her dissipated, Star’s smile suddenly more blinding than anything else in the hallway.  
  
“A determined soul that inspires the stars! Cure Star!”  
  
“With unbreakable bonds, the light that reflects our souls! Cure Aster!”  
  
Huh?  
  
Star blinked, looking at the girl who was now opposite her.

A blue cloak with "wings" attached to the arms, patterned with lighter stars on the sleeves and near the hem. A simple, dark blue dress under it. Black tights and navy boots, covering almost all skin. Strikingly bright blue eyes, in contrast to the long black hair and almost too-pale skin.

It was like seeing a completely different person.

Aster looked at Star, up and down.

“You changed your intro?”

Star felt her cheeks heat up. She had changed it to match with Niko’s and everyone else’s after they had saved her, but had never really gotten to use it yet. Niko had said she “inspired” them, and it gave her energy just to say the words.

After they had saved her.

“Yes,” Star said, keeping her determined gaze at Aster’s piercing eyes. “I changed it. When Niko and everyone rescued me.”

“Niko?” Aster laughed. It was an odd sound.

Star didn’t want to think about how long it had been since she had heard Aster’s laugh.  
  
“Niko couldn’t rescue you! It was me, remember? I had to save you and Lune, with that bunny fairy! Sollari, right?”

Aster had saved her so many times in the past. Star had saved her just as many times.

“No.”

Aster blinked.

Star smiled.

“No, you didn’t. I’m sorry, but you didn’t. You died, Kara. And...I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

Fear crossed Aster’s face, just for a split second.

She laughed.

“Star, you aren’t making any sense. Why do you keep calling me “Kara”, anyway?”

“You’ll hate this. I know that.” Star walked forward, one foot in front of the other, until she was face-to-face with Aster. “But it’s the one chance I have to say it, isn’t it?”

“Star, please, what are you doing?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry you died. I’m sorry I have to move on.”

Her chest began shining yellow, like sunshine and bravery swelling up in her chest.

“But most of all…”

A yellow star, forming just outside her chest. It floated upward, and Juli caught it in one hand.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t say this to the real you.”

She shaped it around her wrist, until the excess light sparkled away into nothing.  
  
A bracelet. A yellow center, a white orb in the middle, five colorful lights below. Twin wings, curled around it.  
  
Like Madison, she had created something new.  
  
Star smiled. The orb shone white, and swiftly, cooly, she drew a new rapier out of it, forming new matter in her hands.

A new weapon. One untouched by darkness.

One untouched by memories.

The fake Aster backed up, stammering over her words. Star didn’t hear a single one.

Bravery didn’t mean that she had to like this. It only meant that she would do it.

She drew back her new sword, and sighed.

“I’ll see you again, Kara.”

Lune pressed into her firmly. Yet, for once, Star didn’t need to be grounded.

“Pretty Cure!”  
  
The bracelet shone, the yellow light blinking on as the wings stretched outward.

“Stardust Flash Rush!”

Star ran forward, moving faster than she had ever done before. It was no longer as if she was carried by the air, she _was_ the air, moving from one spot to another with the speed and precision of something inhuman.

She slashed, and Aster screamed.

She slashed again, and again, moving with each strike.

Star made sure to keep her eyes closed.

Eventually, she appeared in her last spot, her sword disappearing as she willed it.

Aster screamed again, each cut pressing into her at once. The scream morphed from something recognizable to something animal, and then to something inhuman.

Star had heard it before.

Rune’s scream.

“TURN AROUND AND FACE ME, PRETTY CURE! OR ARE YOU TOO SCARED OF HURTING YOUR PRECIOUS FRIEND?!”

The magic left her as Star detransformed.

And she began to walk away.

“YOU COWARD! ARE YOU JUST GOING TO WALK AWAY?!”

She was going to.

“YOU DON’T CARE, DO YOU? NOT ABOUT CURE ASTER, NOT ABOUT ANYONE!”  
  
She did care.

“YOU IDIOT!”

Maybe.

Maybe she was an idiot.

Rune screamed, and hissed, and shouted, and swore.

But to Star, the encounter had already ended.

It hadn’t even begun, either.

* * *

 Three spots below the orange star, a yellow light flared to life.

* * *

 The moon was high when Juli finally walked back out of Ikari High.

“Juli!”

And all at once, she was tackled by three girls, Hailey laughing in the back. Niko, Madison, and Aria buried her, her vision seeing nothing but fabric belonging to the three currently suffocating her.

“They were so worried,” Hailey explained, still laughing. “Forced me to come out. I thought I’d find you here, and, well…”

“I was soooo worried!” Niko cried. “You can’t just do that!”

“What if you had gotten hurt?! Or worse, captured?! I couldn’t bear that!” That was Aria, squeezing her in a surprisingly strong bear hug.

“You moron! If I do something wrong, just tell me, alright?! You’re going to get yourself killed!” And that was Madison, anger mixed with sheer relief.

Lune cried, squished in the middle.

“LUNE, ARI!”

Yet, the squishing was a rest for Lune, before being tackled by a cream rabbit-like messenger.

“Lune, Lune, Lune, Lune, ari!” Sollari practically crushed Lune, squealing as they hugged them. Juli stifled a laugh.

“Sorry for the delay, but Niko insisted we track them down before we came. It’s a good thing I actually know how to use a phonebook.” Hailey laughed once more, striding towards the chaotic hug pile. “Alright, alright. Get off of her. Hugs for later. For now, family.”

Family?

Madison and Aria gave up willingly, though Aria made an attempt to re-grab her as Hailey pulled her away. Niko gave her one last squeeze, eventually relenting and letting herself be dragged away by Hailey.

Standing there, right in front of her…  
  
“Juli…”

Juli covered her mouth. Hot tears pricked at her eyes.

The whole day...all of it...was suddenly spilling over.

She started running. As fast as she could.

“Juli!”

Her parents caught her in an embrace.

Her father, Touma. He was blinking back tears, holding Juli like she was about to disappear.

Her dad, Haruto. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he knelt down, wiping Juli’s own tears from her eyes.

Juli didn’t have any words to say.

...maybe she did. Just three.

“You remember me.”

Haruto gave a short laugh, patting her head gently.

“How could we ever forget you?”

The stars above them twinkled.

But to Juli, two shone brighter than ever that night.

 

“Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you thought this was over. but it aint over till you're dead, punk
> 
> well, this kicked my ass.  
> but!!! while I was writing this!!!  
> Interstellar got nominated for FIVE categories in the fancuries!!!  
> > Favourite Fanseries  
> > Best Mascot/Fairy (Sollari)  
> > Best Villain (Nebulous)  
> > Best Character Arc (Saving Cure Star)  
> > Best Chapter or Scene (Chapter 12: Interstellar Pretty Cure, together at last!)
> 
> thank you all so much for your support! let's keep going, alright?  
> next up, Aria's episode! I hope you all enjoy!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Comet Trails](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17477117) by [Feenie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feenie/pseuds/Feenie)




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